


a different path

by evotter



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts AU!, SLYTHERIN PERCY, annabeth DEFINITELY still calls percy seaweed brain did you really think that wouldnt be a thing, i did not come up with all of these ideas on my own the full credit is in the notes, listen i really think youre gonna like this, so if canon deaths happen expect that their deaths will probably happen in the story????, very canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 16:24:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12280176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evotter/pseuds/evotter
Summary: “It means you could be great in Gryffindor. Or Hufflepuff. Or Slytherin. Each house will take you on a different path. I can sense great loyalty in you, Percy Jackson. Loyalty to your friends. Perhaps one day that may be your undoing.”





	1. first year

**Author's Note:**

> (the Hogwarts AU i've always wanted to write.)
> 
> i got ALL of my slytherin!percy ideas from ofswordsandpens on tumblr. literally all of them. i found a headcanon list and i was like '......i must write'. so, here i am, with chapter 1 of my hogwarts au.
> 
> this is just first year. i COULD be ambitious and say this story has 7 chapters, but some years are half as long as this one and that might result in me combining chapters. ANYWAY, please enjoy <3

 

Percy Jackson is eleven years old and is scared out of his wits.

He’s never been to a train station before today; growing up, he and his mum had no family other than each other, so there wasn’t a need to travel to see relatives, and they’d never been on a vacation in his entire life. _Not_ because they’re poor— _because they aren’t_ —but because they’d just...never gotten around to it. Yeah.

Percy’s hands clench the bar on his trolley. He feels like holding his mum’s hand, but he feels a little bit like he’s too old for that now. After all, he’s going to Hogwarts.

“Do we have everything?” his mother asks, taking a quick glance at the trolley. Everything is there: Percy’s trunk, his first year supplies from Diagon Alley, and the basket with his kitten. Percy nods eagerly as his mother guides him right to one of the arches inside King’s Cross station.

“Okay.” Sally Jackson says. Her hand falls on her son’s shoulder. “Just like I told you.”

She counts to three, softly, and then mother and son run straight at the barrier. Percy expects to crash. He knows he won’t, but he flinches anyway; but when no crash comes, the black-haired boy opens his eyes.

He gasps.

The train is much bigger than he’d ever imagined in its black-and-scarlet glory. Steam is pouring from the top. Students are already hanging out of windows, waving at parents and siblings alike. The platform itself is packed with family members and young witches and wizards loading their items so they can begin (or continue) their journey to Hogwarts.

“Wow.” Percy breathes.

Sally smiles. She’s a muggle, Percy knows; a non-magic person. His father was the wizard. Not that Percy could remember him. The only thing his father left behind was...well, Percy.

“Come on.” Sally says. If she’s in awe of seeing Platform 9 ¾ for the first time, she doesn’t show it. “Let’s load your trolley and get you on the train.”

Percy’s nerves begin to sink into his bones. His trolley gets loaded onto the train, save for his wand. He already knows that once he’s away from his mum, he’ll probably end up losing all his belongings, including his wand.

“You have a good year, okay?” Sally says. She stoops down to be at eye level with her son, but she doesn’t have to go far. She isn’t the tallest, and Percy isn’t necessarily the shortest; he’s all limbs and more clumsy than he’d like to admit. But his mother seems to love him anyway. “You owl me when you can—it’s okay if you forget to. I just want you to have fun, Percy. And pay attention to your classes.”

She’s trying very hard to fight back the tears in her eyes. For eleven years, it’s just been the two of them: Percy and Sally against the world. Now, Percy is leaving, and he can feel the hole beginning to expand in his heart. He wonders if his mother can feel it too.

“I will.” Percy promises. He flings his arms around his mother’s neck and hugs her tight, breathing in the smell of sweets and her perfume. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Try not to.” Sally kisses her son’s head and smooths his hair back. “Just be yourself, Percy. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you, okay? I love you.”

“Okay.” Percy says. “Love you too, Mum.” He feels his mother’s arms squeeze him tightly and then let go, and he knows that it’s time. He gives her one last smile and then boards the train.

\---

“Watch where you’re going _, cripple!”_

Percy nearly runs right into someone in front of him. There’s a crowd, right in the middle of the corridor, and he’s at the back of it. He hears laughter, and a bit of scuffling, and then the same snide voice from before says, “Hogwarts shouldn’t even let people like you in! Are your parents muggles? You must be, if you can’t even walk properly.”

He shoulders his way through the crowd. There, he sees a skinny blond boy leaning over another kid, who is clutching a pair of bright yellow crutches. It takes Percy a moment, but he realizes that the boy on the ground is being  _picked on_ for having a disability.

“Hey.” Percy says. He squares his shoulders, hoping to look intimidating. The laughter around him dies down. “Why don’t you leave him alone?”

The blond whips his head around. “What are you going to do about it?”

Percy doesn’t even flinch. He winds his arm back and punches the boy right in the middle of his face.

Immediately, chaos explodes in the corridor. The blond boy grasps his nose, blood gushing through his fingers, and Percy kneels on the ground to help the boy stand. Once the boy’s arms are safely in his crutches, Percy hurries him along down the corridor.

“No magic allowed on the trains!” yells a new voice.

Percy dares to look over his shoulder. The blond, his face and clothes streaked with blood, outstretches his wand. His nose is bent at an odd angle.

 _Merlin’s underwear_. Did Percy break his _nose?_

Blond boy opens his mouth.

“Quick!” hisses a girl’s voice. A hand closes around Percy’s forearm and tugs him through the students at the other end of the corridor. He makes sure his hand is on the disabled boy’s shoulder, desperate not to lose him in the crowd, and suddenly, Percy is falling into an empty compartment.

Well, _almost_ empty.

Percy lands on the floor. The boy lands on the seat cushion. The girl (at least, Percy thinks) remains standing, quickly locking the compartment door behind them and drawing the blinds over the windows.

“Hey.” Percy says, out-of-breath. He picks himself up and sits next to the boy on the bench. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” the boy mutters. He wears a black shirt and jeans. He takes the crutches and props them up beside him.

“Are you sure?” Percy asks. “Did that guy hurt you?”

“No.”

“We’re good.” says the girl. Percy looks up. Hidden behind a mess of blonde curls is a tan face and startlingly grey eyes. She glances at Percy, then back at the door, and then sits across from the two of them on the opposite bench.

“Um.” Percy says. “Cool. You just saved us.”

“Of course I did.” she says. “That was Octavian. You just punched _Octavian_ in the face. I think you broke his nose!” Her hands are restless against her thighs. Percy watches as she takes a rubber band from around her wrist and uses it to tie her hair back into a ponytail.

“It looked like it.” the boy agrees. He looks down at his hands. “There was a lot of blood.”

“He was bullying you.” Percy says, like it’s the ultimate answer. He doesn’t know anything about this kid except for the fact that he can’t walk properly, and he was being _bullied_ for it. Percy hated bullies. He remembers the one time a redheaded girl threw a peanut butter sandwich at him on the playground when he was nine and she ended up in the pond. It had been his accidental magic, acting up when he got angry. Just thinking about her made Percy get upset all over again.

“I—thank you.” says the boy. He meets Percy’s eyes. “I’m Grover.”

“Percy.”

“Annabeth,” says the blonde. She’s looking at Percy in a way he doesn’t really like. It takes him a minute to realize that she’s _examining_ him. Judging him. He isn’t sure what she’s gathering in her mind, and he isn’t sure he’d like it if he found out.

“It _was_ a bit rash, though,” says Annabeth as an afterthought. “Even if Octavian is a prat. But it’s day one and you’ve already got an enemy.”

“He deserved it.” Percy says firmly.

Even if Annabeth agrees, she doesn’t show it much. Percy notes that she’s already in her robes—ones that look brand new and shiny—and can already tell she’s probably from a higher-up family than he is.

 _We don’t need more than we have_ , says his mum’s voice in the back of his head. Sally has always been too modest, no matter what situation, and Percy hates it. He thinks of her, right now, heading back to the flat in the Camaro, and wonders what his filthy stepdad will try and make her do first, now that her ‘no-good freak son’ has been shipped off to his ‘no-good freak boarding school.’

Annabeth anxiously glances out the window. Her leg starts to bounce, like Percy’s does whenever he can’t concentrate, and he decides right then and there that their blood—their family importance—doesn’t matter. Even if Annabeth was some sort of heiress, and even if she didn’t really approve of punching Octavian in the nose, she still hid Percy and Grover in her compartment.

And that, Percy decides, is enough.

\---

The three of them talk about a lot of things. Grover Underwood, Percy discovers, is in fact a muggle-born, but it feels like he knows more about the wizarding world than Percy does. He says he’ll be a Hufflepuff, but he’s actually looking forward to it. Percy takes the black t-shirt and the yellow crutches as a hint that Grover is as eager as he says.

Annabeth Chase wants to be a Ravenclaw. (Percy tells her she will be.) She is a pureblood, like Percy had assumed, but she says nothing about her family (unlike Grover, who had spent a good twenty minutes telling his friends about how much he loved his parents). She fidgets the whole time she talks, and then explains that she’s hyperactive and can’t really help it. Percy finds himself liking the smile on her face when Percy explains that he’s the same way.

And then there is Percy. Percy Jackson tells his friends that he doesn’t know what house he wants to be in, but that his father was in Slytherin, and therefore Percy would like to be in Slytherin the least. He is a half-blood, but his mum has taught him everything he knows. His step-father is a no-good piece of utter shit who Percy had accidentally toppled a bookcase upon when he was seven years old, the day his mum had told him he was a wizard. (He doesn’t regret it, even four years later.) That statement makes Annabeth and Grover both explode with laughter.

They only stop talking so Percy and Grover can change into their robes. On their way to the castle, they all ride in the same boat, and Percy finally starts to feel like he’s at home.

\---

The Great Hall makes Percy feel like he’s miniscule. He piles into the hallway with the rest of the first years, sticking close to Grover and Annabeth, and tries to ignore the pounding of his heart. He doesn’t see Octavian, which means that the boy he punched on the train is not a first year. Percy isn’t sure if that makes him feel better or worse.

“Chase, Annabeth!”

Annabeth inhales sharply next to Percy. She looks at Percy and Grover one time before walking up the steps to the stool and the Sorting Hat.

Their headmistress is a small woman called Professor Hestia. She places the Sorting Hat on Annabeth’s matted curls and lets it do its job.

Annabeth’s face gets noticeably paler as the hat begins to speak. No one can hear it—no one other than Annabeth.

Percy doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath until the hat shouts, “RAVENCLAW!”

The Ravenclaw table bursts into cheers. Annabeth’s grey eyes find Grover and Percy in the sea of first years and she flashes them a wide, relieved smile.

Grover gulps.

The next first year to get sorted is redhead “Dare, Rachel!” and she joins Annabeth at the Ravenclaw table. Following Rachel is “Di Angelo, Bianca!”, who becomes a Gryffindor. Next, “Grace, Jason!” follows Bianca to the Gryffindor table.

“Jackson, Percy!”

Grover is the one to give Percy a small shove when Percy doesn’t move. He feels like it takes forever to get from the crowd of first years to the stool in front of the entire hall, but he eventually gets there. Professor Hestia gives a warm smile to Percy, holding the Sorting Hat in her hand.

And then he sits.

The headmistress places the hat on his head and it nearly covers his eyes. Immediately his mind swells with thoughts that aren’t his, whispers and bits of pieces of an incohesive conversation belonging to the Sorting Hat.

And then the whispers stop.

“Interesting,” murmurs the Hat. Percy glances at the Ravenclaw table to see Annabeth and Rachel Dare watching him with wide eyes. “Very interesting.”

“What?” says Percy.

He feels the hat steer his head toward the Gryffindor table where Bianca di Angelo and Jason Grace sit. Then his head moves to the Hufflepuff table. Then he skips right over the table and stops at the Slytherin table. Then back to the Gryffindor table.

Percy feels like everyone is staring at him. Everyone _is_ staring at him. He’s been sitting up here for what feels like hours. The hat has started to whisper again.

“ _What’s_ interesting?” Percy repeats.

“Daring,” says the hat. “Nerve. Chivalry. Just and loyal. Ambitious. You’re a lot of things, Percy Jackson.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you could be great in Gryffindor. Or Hufflepuff. Or Slytherin. Each house will take you on a different path. I can sense great loyalty in you, Percy Jackson. Loyalty to your friends. Perhaps one day that may be your undoing.”

Percy doesn’t like the sound of that.

“But you stand up for what is right.” The hat muses. “Your bravery could lead you to become one of the greatest Gryffindors this school has ever seen. But Slytherin—”

Percy’s heart sinks.

“Some of the greatest witches and wizards alive come from Slytherin. You’ll find your true friends. Slytherin not only values ambition and the cunning, but also those who are determined and have self-preservation. A natural instinct to protect yourself and others from harm...but that could easily lie within loyalty…”

Professor Hestia steps into Percy’s line of view. He’s afraid, for one split second, that she’s going to pluck the hat from his head and declare Percy unfit to be at Hogwarts. But instead she watches him with a strange expression in her warm brown eyes.

“Yes.” the hat says. “Yes, I see now. Better be—SLYTHERIN!”

The green-and-silver-clad table erupts into cheers. The Sorting Hat is lifted from Percy’s head and he stands, avoiding the headmistress’s gaze as he descends the stairs and makes his way to the Slytherin table.

And then he sees Octavian.

Scowling, the blond boy watches as Percy sits down at the Slytherin table. Percy’s legs feel like jelly. The blood is gone from Octavian’s face, but his nose still looks crooked. Percy turns away from him and tries to focus on the rest of the first years being sorted.

_Slytherin._

A girl steps up to the stool but Percy’s ears are ringing too loudly for him to pay attention. _Your father was in Slytherin, Percy. Your father was the best man I ever knew. He did great in Slytherin. Slytherin is not a bad house._

_My dad was in Slytherin. I don’t think I want to be in Slytherin._

He’d never told Annabeth and Grover that he didn’t want to be in Slytherin because he didn’t want to end up like his father. Sally had always tried to tell Percy that it wasn’t his father’s fault that he had to leave. Percy had never been able to decide whether Sally was trying to convince him or herself.

The stockier, brown-haired girl, “La Rue, Clarisse!”, becomes a Gryffindor. The following first year, “McLean, Piper!” is also a Gryffindor.

“Nightshade, Zoё!” Professor Hestia calls.

Zoё, one of the five first years left in the middle of the Great Hall, takes her place on the stool. The hat is on her head for five seconds before it declares, “SLYTHERIN!”

There is an empty seat beside Percy that Zoё takes when she arrives at the table. She glances at him, nods, and then sits down. The gesture doesn’t make Percy feel any better about being sorted into Slytherin.

The next person, a “Stoll, Connor!” also becomes a Slytherin. His sorting takes about as long as Zoё’s, and Percy notices that someone from the Gryffindor table sounds particularly upset about Connor’s sorting. He cranes his neck to see the red-and-gold adorned table, but before he can locate the source, Professor Hestia calls out another name.

“Underwood, Grover!”

Grover lets out a muted yelp in surprise. He grips his crutches and hoists himself up the stairs. Percy turns around and gives his fiercest glare at Octavian, whose mouth is open, perhaps to say something else about Grover.

Octavian’s eyes flash. He snaps his mouth shut. Zoё Nightshade tries to stifle the smile on her face.

Professor Hestia places the hat on Grover’s curly hair.

The hat yells, “HUFFLEPUFF!”

The Hufflepuff table explodes in celebration. Grover is the first Hufflepuff of the year. They welcome him with open arms. Grover, beaming, takes his seat at the table and meets Percy’s eyes across the room.

There are two boys left. One is shorter, with dark brown curly hair and a wiry frame. He is next, when Professor Hestia calls “Valdez, Leo!”, and he joins Annabeth and Rachel Dare in Ravenclaw. Leo Valdez looks as shocked as Percy felt. Annabeth greets the boy immediately as he takes the empty seat beside her.

And finally, one person is left. Professor Hestia calls “Zhang, Frank,” and waits for the first year to make his way to the stool. Frank Zhang joins the Gryffindors.

The feast commences. Both Connor Stoll and Zoё Nightshade seem like cool enough people. They don’t talk much, mostly because all three of them become quickly occupied with the food, but Percy is still confident that at least he’s made acquaintances with people in his house. Not quite friends, but he’ll get there.

So maybe Slytherin won’t be the worst.

He’s still skeptical.

\---

Connor Stoll explains it like this when they depart from the Great Hall toward the dungeons: Percy is the only first year boy sorted into Slytherin this year other than Connor, so the two of them share a whole dormitory. Connor adds that the dormitory adjusts magically depending on how many people are sorted that year and optimizes the dorm to fit accordingly.

Percy really hopes he and Connor Stoll get along.

The room is adorned with emerald and silver. Their beds are four-poster with grey pinstriped sheets and a green comforter. It’s a large room, especially just for the two of them. It’s over twice the size of Percy’s room at home. The room he misses desperately at this moment; he wonders if he could sneak to the owlery and send a message to his mum before anyone noticed.

Then he realizes his mom would probably be upset if he did that. He wonders if it would be worth it anyway.

Both Percy’s and Connor’s things have already been transported up, he sees; his kitten—Mrs O’Leary, a tiny black kitten with bright blue eyes and white paws—has already curled up his bed, just beside his pillow, sleeping. Percy rolls his wand between his fingers and then sets it next to the tank. He sees Connor with an empty owl cage and a trunk with his initials on.

“Goodnight, mate,” says Connor, and the lights magically turn themselves out once the two of them climb into their own beds.

Percy’s out the moment his head hits the pillow.

\---

Percy learns a few things very quickly.

He learns that the other three houses—Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor—see Slytherin as the ‘evil’ house. It deters him, but only slightly, because Slytherin can’t _actually_ be that bad, right?

Then, by lunchtime, Percy learns that his own house helps perpetuate the distinction. Half of them are obsessed with blood purity. They remind him of the rich, snotty kids he’d gone to muggle school with before coming to Hogwarts, and that makes him even more upset.

Octavian, without fail, is one of these students.

“Aw, c’mon,” says Connor at lunch, shrugging as he speaks around half a sausage in his mouth. “Listen, Percy, not all purebloods are like that. I’m not. Zoё isn’t—are you, Zoё?”

Zoё Nightshade looks up from her Transfiguration homework. “No,” she says. “I think the matter of our blood is ridiculous.”

Connor waves his hands. “See? Don’t worry about anyone who says otherwise.” He claps Percy on the back just as Percy is taking a sip of pumpkin juice. As Percy splutters, Connor says, “Look. There are bad people in every house. Do some of the worst wizards come from Slytherin? Yeah. Salazar Slytherin himself was a Dark Wizard.”

“That makes me feel worse.” Percy says miserably, once he’s finished coughing.

“ _But_ ,” says Connor, “there have been Slytherin students who have proved them wrong. _We’ll_ prove them wrong. You can’t let yourself be stereotyped as ‘evil’ just for being sorted into Slytherin.”

“Nor can you stereotype all of our housemates as such,” says Zoё.

They’re both right, Percy knows. He looks down the table and sees Octavian with his pureblood friends. He remembers the train and fights down the swell of anger building in his chest. “You’re right,” he says. “We’ll prove them wrong. And I won’t let anyone in this house talk down to muggleborns or bully _anyone_.”

Connor claps his shoulder again. This time, Percy expects it. “Hear, hear,” he says. Zoё tucks her homework away and scoots down the table until she’s sitting across from both boys.

When they’re leaving the Great Hall for their next class, Connor slings his arm around Percy’s neck. “Listen,” he says, and jams a thumb at the Gryffindor table as they walk past. “You think Slytherins are bad? Wait ‘till you’ve seen the bloody  _Gryffindors,_ mate. That bloke Travis is a real prick.”

\---

Percy doesn’t see Annabeth Chase until the end of the week.

He’s seen Grover a few times, of course, and has already introduced him to Connor and Zoё. But all of his double classes are with the Gryffindors, and he rarely has had time to explore the castle; in fact, he’d only found Grover because they’d both gotten lost on their way to their respective classes. But Annabeth had been missing in action all week.

On Friday, after all of his first-week classes are done, Percy leaves Transfiguration and finally makes it outside, over to the field near the Black Lake. And there, sitting underneath a tree, right next to the bank of the lake, is the blonde he’d sat with on the train.

“Hey!” Percy greets, waving at her when he sees her.

Annabeth looks up from her book and offers a small smile. “Hi.” she says, when Percy comes up to their studying spot. He drops his bag and takes a seat beside her, offering a small back

“Haven’t seen you around.” Annabeth comments, closing her book.

Percy shrugs. If he’s being honest, he was afraid she wouldn’t want to be his friend anymore. He’d been afraid of that with Grover, too, but they hadn’t really talked about it. “I didn’t know where to find you. I found Grover, but…”

“I’ve been lost in my studies.” she holds up the book like an excuse and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Merlin, this place is amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Percy says. “I’ve never been a huge fan of school, but...I’m starting to be.”

Annabeth looks at the lake. “You know,” she says. “I was reading _Hogwarts: A History_ the other day. Apparently, your Sorting was one of the longest in Hogwarts history.”

He blinks. “My Sorting’s in _Hogwarts: A History?”_

She rolls her eyes. “ _No_ , but the longest recorded Sortings are. Yours happens to fall in the top five. They’ll probably update it soon, though.”

“Wow.”

Annabeth looks at him curiously. “What did the hat say to you?”

Percy exhales. “A lot of things,” he admits. “Basically said I could end up anywhere and that my path would be different depending on where I’d ended up.”

“You think you’d be better off in a different house?”

He loosens the green-and-silver tie around his neck. “Dunno. Definitely not if I’d been in Ravenclaw, though. I reckon I’d be the dumbest Ravenclaw in history.”

“Probably.” Annabeth muses, and when Percy looks over at her in surprise, she rolls her eyes again. “Come _on_ , Percy. We both know you didn’t try to find me because you’re ashamed of your house.”

It’s true, but Percy doesn’t say it.

“Listen, Jackson. I don’t give a flying _flip_ if we’re in different houses.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re _friends,_ Percy. Any other stupid questions?”

Before Percy can respond, Annabeth gives him a playful shove. It would have been funny, except for the fact that Percy isn’t prepared for it, and he rolls right over into the Black Lake.

He emerges seconds later, wet and cold and coughing, with half the students on the green staring at him. Annabeth doubles over laughing the instant she sees him. He hoists himself up out of the water—with no help from Annabeth—and pulls several pieces of seaweed from his hair, glaring at Annabeth the whole time.

After that, Annabeth starts calling him _Seaweed Brain._ And he kind of likes it.

\---

September bleeds into October, which bleeds quickly into November. Percy attends his first-ever Quidditch match with Connor and Zoё and finds himself absolutely entranced with the game. Slytherin beats Gryffindor, with fifth year captain Luke Castellan throwing the celebration party in the Slytherin common room later that night. When they start flying lessons with the Gryffindors, his broom flies to his hand immediately.

It flies to Clarisse la Rue’s meaty hand immediately too, as well as a few other Gryffindors, but also to Connor Stoll’s hand, which makes Percy extremely happy. Then, the two of them watch as Zoё tries to get hers to rise. It doesn’t go so well at first, but eventually, she’s holding it and running after Percy and Connor, trying to whack them both with it.

\---

At the end of November, Percy gets an owl from his mum telling him that Gabe Ugliano is gone from their lives for good.

That Christmas is the best Christmas he can remember.

\---

“You really think _Ravenclaw_ is going to beat Slytherin for the House Cup?” says Percy, loudly enough that Madame Minerva has to shush him. He’s in the library with Grover and Annabeth, trying to study for their upcoming exams, but it isn’t going very well. It’s probably his fault.

Annabeth crosses her arms over her chest. Grover gulps. “I do.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure. Okay. Whatever you say, Wise Girl.”

They’ve come up with nicknames. Percy’s, regrettably, is still ‘Seaweed Brain’ from when Annabeth pushed him into the Black Lake. Hers has become ‘Wise Girl’; not the best Percy probably could have come up with, but it’s the best he’s currently got on hand. Grover’s isn’t as creative, but he loves ‘G-man’ all the same.

“Let’s just finish studying, yeah?” Annabeth leans back in her chair. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave.”

(Percy gets a grade substantially better than he expected to in Transfiguration, and for that, he decides not to gloat as hard as he wanted to when Slytherin wins the House Cup at the end of the year.)

(He still gloats _a lot_ , though.)


	2. second year/third year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy takes his friends for granted. He doesn’t realize this until the summer hits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so - second year and third year were significantly shorter than first year. i decided to combine them so you guys get a longer chapter! that also means that this story probably won't be 7 chapters, so i won't change that yet.
> 
> the official plot for the story starts at the very end. i tried to make this as canon compliant as possible, but i DID change a few things just to make the story flow better! please enjoy :)
> 
> a/n: just as a reminder, all slytherin!percy ideas/inspirations come from ofswordsandpens on ao3 and tumblr :)

**second year**

Leaving his mum for Percy’s second year at Hogwarts is easier than the first, but still difficult.

He has friends, this time, which is nice; looking around Platform 9 ¾ he doesn’t see any of them, but he’s certain he’ll find a few once he gets onto the train. Mrs O’Leary is no longer a kitten, but she still curls up on Percy’s shoulder and pretends like she is.

Sally Jackson presses a kiss to her son’s hair and lets him go. Percy hugs her quickly and then joins the rest of the students piling onto the train.

Percy sees Annabeth before she sees him. He ducks into her compartment with a smile and has to lower her book in order to get her attention.

“Hey, Seaweed Brain!” To Percy’s surprise, Annabeth hugs him. It’s brief, and he almost wishes it could last longer, but she’s still smiling at him when she pulls away and sits back down. “How was your summer?”

They spend five more minutes catching up before their compartment quickly fills. First with Gryffindors Jason Grace and Piper McLean, and then Leo Valdez, who is in Ravenclaw like Annabeth. Grover joins next, with his black-and-yellow crutches to represent Hufflepuff, and finally, Connor and Zoё arrive. There are eight of them in one compartment, and Percy really isn’t sure if that’s safe, but half of them end up on the floor and Percy finds that he’s definitely all right with it. Jason’s white cat, Sparky, takes an instant liking to Mrs O’Leary, and by the end of the train ride, Percy ends up with two cats on his shoulders.

Annabeth, who had returned for Hogwarts with a wizard camera, takes great pleasure in taking Percy’s photo.

\---

There aren’t many first years sorted this year. Percy can only remember two: Will Solace, who joins Annabeth and Leo in Ravenclaw, and Hazel Levesque, who joins Grover in Hufflepuff. He notices Piper trying to tell him something from across the room, when Hazel is Sorted, but he doesn’t understand at all. He figures she’ll tell him later.

“So,” says Connor at dinner. “Are you going to try for the Quidditch team this year?”

“Dunno.” Percy admits. “Probably. But I’m only a second year. I’m sure there are tons of upper years who want to try out."

“Just because they’re older doesn’t mean they’re better.” Zoё points out. “And you were playing non-stop over the summer.”

It was true; when Percy wasn’t with his mum, he was either at Connor’s or Jason’s with a bunch of his friends, playing haphazard Quidditch games with whatever brooms and Quidditch balls they could find. It gave Percy a lot of bruises that took quite a while to heal, but it was fun and good practice.

“Might as well try.” Connor says with a shrug. “M’going for it. Maybe we could be on the team together.”

Percy thinks it’s a good idea. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, maybe I will. It’ll be fun.”

Tryouts are mid-September. Luke Castellan, a sixth year now in his second year of captain and Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, stands in the middle of the pitch with the newest broom model. There are four open positions on the team: both Beaters, one Keeper, and one Chaser.

To Percy’s surprise, not many people show up for tryouts. Octavian does, though, and Percy feels the blond’s gaze on him like two daggers the whole time.

It does help, though, that Octavian is absolutely rubbish at Quidditch.

\---

Percy doesn’t know much about how easy it is to get onto the Quidditch team. He knows that the younger the players are, the better, so they don’t have to completely reboot the team every year. Percy doesn’t consider himself an amazing player for his age, but even so, the look Luke gives him when he hits the Bludger toward the Slytherins playing Chaser seems praising enough.

Miraculously, Percy and Connor become the new Slytherin Beaters. Clarisse la Rue from Gryffindor also becomes a Beater. Jason becomes a Gryffindor Chaser. Annabeth doesn’t try out, because Ravenclaw team’s only open position is Seeker, and she doesn’t think she’ll be good at that.

“Connor,” says Percy, when he’s surveying the team lists, “I didn’t know Travis was your brother.”

“Eh?” Connor peers over Percy’s shoulder. “Oh, yeah. What, did you think I just hated him?”

“You certainly trash talk him enough.” Zoё observes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, well, he pisses me off most times.” Connor shrugs. “But yeah, he’s my brother. A fourth year. We’re going to kick his ass.”

Percy also finds out that Jason has a fourth year older sibling. Her name is Thalia, and she’s in Gryffindor, just like her younger brother. “Honestly, I think you two would get along real well,” says Jason to Percy, after Thalia leaves the library. “You two are a lot alike. So...well, I guess you’d either get on real well or you’d tear each other apart.”

“Oh,” says Percy. He learns that Thalia loves Quidditch but hates heights, so she doesn’t play. The only thing Jason and Thalia have in common are their blue eyes, but other than that, Percy doesn’t think he’d be able to tell they were siblings.

As well as Thalia, Percy meets Frank Zhang and Bianca di Angelo. Bianca di Angelo, he finds out, is the half-sister of Hazel Levesque. (“That’s what I was _trying_ to tell you at the feast.” Piper complains.) He thinks of the Sorting Hat and the different path Gryffindor would have led him on. He wonders if these people would be his closest friends. Who would Annabeth and Grover be to him, had he been sorted into Gryffindor instead?

Percy decides pretty glad he ended up in Slytherin instead.

\---

The first Quidditch match is at the beginning of November and is Gryffindor versus Slytherin. It’s also Percy’s first Quidditch game. He enjoys the banter between himself and his Gryffindor friends, even when Annabeth says she’s rooting for Gryffindor because that’s the better house. All of it mostly distracts him from his nerves. Luke and Connor both say he’s going to be fine, but that doesn’t mean Percy stops feeling anxious.

He can’t remember much from the game, if he’s being honest. It feels like a blur. He remembers Clarissa la Rue looking terrifying on her broom and he remembers knocking a couple Gryffindor chasers out of the way of making a goal.

He also remembers Annabeth, screaming from the Ravenclaw student section, with silver and green paint smeared across her cheeks. And when he finally meets up with his friends, sweaty and exhausted but extremely excited from the game, she kisses him on the cheek.

\---

By December, Percy and Connor have found all of the secret passages Hogwarts has to offer.

There are seven, they find. They mark them all down in a map, just to keep track. One has a caved-in ceiling that is impossible to repair. Another is a stairway with a trick-step covered by a tapestry. The pair of them do extremely well sneaking around the castle, especially when hiding from Argus, the caretaker; Percy and Connor haven’t actually met him yet, but they’ve heard rumors that he scares students by making ninety-eight eyes appear all over his body.

When he tells Annabeth this, she just rolls her eyes.

“ _You_ haven’t seen him, either,” Percy points out. “You don’t know.”

“Can we just get back to studying, please?”

\---

Percy returns from the holidays with a chip on his shoulder. He tries not to let it bother him—really, he tries—but it affects the way he plays during practice and it gets bad enough that Luke orders him off the field.

Annabeth finds him sulking in the library. She sits beside him at the round table, where his head is buried in his arms, and she says, “All right. Out with it.”

“Out with what?”

“With whatever’s _bothering_ you, Seaweed Brain.” she sighs. “Luke told me about practice.”

Percy frowns. He sits up and meets her eyes. “Since when do you talk to Luke?”

Is that just his imagination, or is she _blushing?_  “Since he found me today and told me that you sucked at practice.” Annabeth says bluntly. Percy huffs. " _Seriously_. Percy. What is it?”

Percy’s leg bounces under the table. He gets antsy when he talks about things he doesn’t like, and this definitely counts as one of those times. He says, “I saw my dad.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“My dad.” he says. “Poseidon.”

“Like, the Greek sea god?”

Percy nods. “He’s a Greek wizard, apparently. A nomadic pureblood. His bloodline is extremely powerful, I guess. And he met my mum on the beach and spent the summer with her before having to leave. I don’t even know if _he_ knew I existed. I think he did, though. But if he did, and it took him twelve and a half years to show up, that feels even worse.”

Annabeth is still staring at him. “What happened?”

“He came for Christmas.” Percy explains. “My mum must have owled him, because he knew about her and Gabe getting divorced last year. It was weird. We all sat at the table, at dinner, and he brought presents.” He raps his knuckles on the library table and runs his other hand through his hair. “Merlin, Annabeth, it was so _weird._ I still don’t know how to feel about it.”

“Clearly.” she says. She reaches out and covers his hand with her own, silencing the sound of Percy’s knuckles on the table. “Listen. My mum wasn’t around much, either. I was five when my dad got remarried—to a Muggle. He didn’t tell my stepmother that I was a witch until I was seven when I tried to run away.” Annabeth sighs. “I’ve only met my birth mum a few times. She came around last Christmas, to ask about Hogwarts and to give me a present. So I know how it goes.”

“Do you blame her, then?” Percy asks. He tries not to feel the warmth of Annabeth’s fingers on his. “For leaving?”

“Sometimes.” Annabeth admits. “Other times, I try to understand _why_ she did it. I don’t think I’ll ever know. But I know that if I keep holding onto my anger, I’m going to have a lot of problems.”

Percy meets her eyes.

“Maybe owl him more often.” Annabeth proposes. “See if he’ll visit. Try to understand his point of view, Percy. If he visited you, that means he’s probably interested in getting to know his son. I’m sure it would help if you decided you were interested in getting to know him, too.”

Annabeth squeezes his hand once and then lets go, standing up from the table. “You should go shower,” she says, with a wrinkled nose. Their conversation is over. “You stink.”

Percy laughs as she leaves the library.

That night, he sends an owl.

\---

The last match of the year is Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. It’s the end of May, and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are tied neck and neck for the winner of House Cup. If Ravenclaw wins the game, they’ll win the Cup; but if Gryffindor wins, it’ll be Hufflepuff.

Percy breaks the rules for the first match in two years and goes over to the Ravenclaw section with Connor and Zoё. They sit with Annabeth, Leo Valdez, Will Solace, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare—the redhead second year who Percy barely remembers from their Sorting. She has sparkling green eyes and a bushel of short, red hair, and she’s one of the first girls who really strikes him as _pretty._

But he’s there for Annabeth. So, standing alongside her in the stands, with blue and bronze paint smeared over his cheeks. The blue paint ends up getting in his hair and Percy finds that he kind of likes it.

Unfortunately, though, Ravenclaw loses the game. Gryffindor doesn’t beat them by enough to pass Hufflepuff, so Hufflepuff is declared the winner of the House Cup at the end-of-year feast.

Percy tackles Grover from behind in the cheers and finds his curly-haired best friend hugging him back tightly. Annabeth joins them shortly, and even as the rest of their friends pile on, it’s the three of them in the middle, reminding Percy of his first day at Hogwarts.

He makes a vow to hang out with them more— _j_ _ust_ the two of them, his two first and best friends.

And maybe to see his dad more. If the letters are any inclination, Annabeth was right; Percy’s dad does want to get to know him.

(Percy would never tell Annabeth, though. She’d be talking about it for weeks.)

 

 

 

**third year**

Annabeth makes the Quidditch team.

Four positions are open for the Ravenclaw when tryouts happen two weeks into Percy’s third year. Percy stays after Slytherin tryouts to watch the Ravenclaw tryouts with Grover. They hide, though, just so they won’t get spotted by seventh year Charlie Beckendorf and get accused of spying for their houses.

Percy and Grover stay and watch. Ravenclaw is a good team, and Percy knows it; it’s all Luke could talk about during their tryouts. It’s Luke Castellan’s last year at Hogwarts and he wants to win. Percy’s fairly certain they could, but they’ll have to try hard.

Percy’s summer had been split between spending time with Annabeth and Grover, hanging out with his friends and playing more haphazard Quidditch games, and hanging out with his parents. It was interesting, to say the least. But one thing he knew was that Annabeth had gotten exceptionally better at Quidditch, and he isn’t surprised when she drags him to the updated Quidditch team lists and they see her name under CHASER.

“I did it!” Annabeth says incredulously. She throws her arms around Percy and Grover both. When she pulls back, she fixes Percy with a glare. “And if you make _one_ pun about my last name, I swear to _Merlin_ , Seaweed Brain—”

“What?” Percy stares at Grover with wide eyes before meeting Annabeth’s glare. “I would never! Who do you think I am, Wise Girl?”

Annabeth still doesn’t believe him. Percy thinks that’s fair.

Things get different after that. Not bad, just... _different_. Annabeth teases him about Quidditch more often, and he teases right back. They get a little more physical with each other. Percy’s thirteen. He’s not stupid. He knows Annabeth is attractive, but she’s also one of his best friends, and he doesn’t really know where the line should be drawn.

“You’re flirting again,” accuses Connor, as Percy waves at Annabeth from across the Great Hall.

“I am not.” Percy says.

“You are.” Zoё corrects.

“All I did was wave!”

“It’s all in the _look_.” Connor says.

“I don’t have a crush on Annabeth.”

Zoё and Connor exchange looks. “We never said you did,” says Zoё, accompanied by Connor’s mischievous grin. “We just said you two were flirting.”

Percy groans. “Lay off, would you? I’m allowed to wave at my best friend.”

“Of course you are.” Connor says. He looks at Zoё again, and then neither of them say anything else about the subject, leaving Percy utterly confused.

\---

Hogsmeade trips start in October. Percy goes a couple of times, but he finds that the best part about Hogsmeade is the fact that he and Connor find a passage that goes straight from Hogwarts to the cellar of Honeydukes. And it’s surprisingly easy to get from the cellar to the main level of the candy shop without getting noticed, since Honeydukes is always busy.

More than once, Percy and Connor use this to get candy on a non-Hogsmeade weekend or to sneak over to Three Broomsticks to bring back bottles of Butterbeer for their friends. They’re lucky that the owner, Madam Persephone, likes them enough to not report them when they turn up.

“You two are going to get into big trouble one day,” she tells Percy and Connor. But she gives them the Butterbeer anyway, and smiles fondly when the thirteen-year-olds leave her bar.

\---

“Beckendorf says we’ve got a great shot this year.” Annabeth says, leaning back against the tree.

December hits faster than it has before, but it still hasn’t officially snowed. It’s chilly outside, but Annabeth uses a fire charm to keep them warm as they sit in front of the Black Lake. Percy loves sitting outside more than anything, and they often take advantage of sitting underneath their tree as often as they can, even though the freezing weather.

Percy snorts. “You’ve only played one game.”

“We’ve practiced.”

“One game, Chase.” he points out. He settles back against the tree beside her, shoulders brushing. “At least Beckendorf’s optimistic, though. Luke’s got us working overtime. We don’t play until February and he’s driving us mad.”

“He’s just being a good captain.” Annabeth says.

Percy dares to glance down at her. Her cheeks are bright red, but he doesn’t know if it’s from the cold, or from something else.

“Do you fancy him?” he blurts out.

Annabeth frowns. She sits up and looks at him. “What?”

“Luke.” he says. “You get weird and blushy whenever I bring him up.”

“He’s just...a good Quidditch player.” Annabeth says. “And he’s nice.”

“So you do.” Percy says. His stomach feels like it’s tied in a knot for some reason.

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you do.”

“Does that bother you?”

Percy can’t answer that. He doesn’t _know._ Does it? Were Connor and Zoё right? Annabeth is watching him, her grey eyes pale, almost like she’s expecting a certain answer from him.

Finally, he says, “‘Course not. I heard he fancies Thalia Grace, anyway.”

Annabeth looks away. “It’s getting colder,” she says. “We should probably head inside.”

“Oh.” Percy says. “Okay, yeah. If you want, we could sneak to the kitchens for hot chocolate.”

“Leo has some back in the common room.” Annabeth stands up. She offers Percy a hand, but doesn’t look at him when he takes it to stand up. “Thanks, though.”

“Sure.” Percy says, trying to sound nonchalant. He can feel the cold all over, but he doesn’t know if that’s from the wind or from the sudden mood change. “I’ll see you around, then.”

Annabeth and Percy part ways when they get inside the castle. Percy immediately beelines for the Slytherin common room, down in the dungeons, and flops onto his bed when he reaches the third year boys’ dormitory.

Connor, from his bed, says, “Rough day?”

“Girls are confusing.” Percy declares.

His roommate snorts. “Could not agree more.”

\---

Percy spends the holidays with his mum and his dad, except for a few days after the new year when he goes to Jason’s to hang out with his friends. Annabeth is still a little different when they all get to Jason’s, probably still miffed about the conversation by the lake, but by the end of it, she’s back to her normal self, and Percy realizes that Annabeth is extremely important to him.

He gets to know Thalia a little more (by fighting with her, mostly), and notices that Bianca di Angelo is absent from the festivities. He wonders if it’s because Hazel is part of their group now, but it’s not his business, so he doesn’t dwell on it.

\---

Potions becomes his worst subject upon returning to Hogwarts.

Professor D has never been the most easy-going teacher. For starters, he never gets the names of students right, and Percy suspects that the goblet he drinks out of at his desk is filled with some form of alcohol. Percy’s partner is Connor, which probably was a good idea first year, but has just taken a turn for the worst since neither of them have the motivation to pay attention most days. Zoё is usually the one to tell them what to do.

But Zoё ends up catching the flu one day and spends her day in the Hospital Wing, leaving Connor and Percy to their own devices with Professor D hovering over them like a bat.

Percy and Connor follow Zoё to the Hospital Wing after they cause an explosion. It’s not Percy’s proudest moment, but his friends think it’s hilarious.

Professor D, on the other hand, hates him.

\---

The end February becomes Percy’s favorite time of year. It’s the first Quidditch game after the holidays, and it’s also the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match. Playing against Annabeth in Jason’s backyard is different than playing on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. He’s looking forward to knocking her off her broom—nicely, of course.

Their friends are divided: Frank, Hazel, Travis Stoll, Zoё, and Jason are rooting for Slytherin. Piper, Bianca, Thalia, Will Solace, and Leo are rooting for Ravenclaw. Grover is rooting for both. From where Percy is hovering, he thinks Grover’s doing a great job at it.

“Heads up!” Connor shouts, just as a Bludger whistles past Percy’s ear.

Percy desperately tries to swing for it with his bat, but he misses. Instead, the Bludger goes right to one of Ravenclaw’s Beaters. It’s hit in the opposite direction, and Connor goes speeding after it, leaving Percy to wait for the other one to come around.

It does. And with perfect timing, Annabeth flies by with the Quaffle in her hand.

Percy swings his bat and the Bludger goes flying toward her. In Annabeth’s haste to not get hit, she drops the Quaffle, letting it fall right into a Slytherin Chaser’s hands.

Annabeth whirls on her broom. “Seaweed Brain!”

Percy smiles innocently. “Who, me?”

“If you hit me with that stupid Bludger, I swear to Merlin’s left—”

“Relax, Wise Girl.” Percy says. Annabeth crosses her arms over her chest and he cracks a grin. “If I hit on you, it won’t be with a Bludger.”

Annabeth’s mouth falls open. Percy’s heart starts to pound in his chest. He watches as she scrambles for something to say, and she’s just about to say it—

“Chase!” Beckendorf shouts, just as Luke yells, “Jackson!”

“Ooh,” says Rachel Dare from the commentary podium. “It looks like Ravenclaw Chaser Annabeth Chase and Slytherin Beater Percy Jackson are flirting on the field.”

Percy, for good measure, beats another Bludger toward Annabeth.

Oh, this is going to be _fun_.

\---

It starts raining halfway through the match. By the time the Snitch is finally caught, Percy is sore, soaking wet, and caked with mud. But Slytherin beats Ravenclaw in the end, and that’s really all that matters.

He winks at Annabeth when they touch down on the ground. She punches him in the shoulder. “I hate you,” she declares.

“You could never,” retorts Percy.

“I could never.” Annabeth agrees, to Percy’s surprise. She’s retreating into the Ravenclaw locker room before Percy can reply.

So...flirting, probably. He may owe Connor a few Galleons.

\---

Slytherin does not win the House Cup, much to Luke’s dismay. This year it goes to Gryffindor, with Slytherin as a close second place. Quidditch ends, exams kick Percy’s butt, and before he knows it, he’s sitting on the Hogwarts Express, watching Hogwarts fade from view as he and his friends take the train back to King’s Cross.

“Wow. We’re about to be fourth years.” Piper says from the floor. “I feel old.”

“Watch it.” Thalia says. “Wait until you’re a sixth year. Then you’ll feel old.”

“Yeah, but you get to _Apparate_ next year.” Jason says wistfully. “And do magic outside of school.”

“Yeah, but I have to start thinking about N.E.W.T.s,” says Thalia. She grimaces. “They’re worse than O.W.L.s. I think you guys will have to start preparing for those when you come back in September.”

Piper makes a face. “Forget what I said. I don’t want to be a fourth year anymore.”

Percy scratches Mrs O’Leary between her ears. His cat has officially realized that she can’t stay on Percy’s shoulder anymore, so she’s started to take residence in his lap. “I feel like just yesterday I was running into some crazy girl’s compartment on the first day of first year.” he says.

Annabeth looks up from her book and rolls her eyes. “And _I_ feel like just yesterday I was dealing with an annoying boy trying to save him from getting in trouble. Oh, wait. I _did_ do that yesterday.”

Their friends laugh. “We were just trying to give Luke a proper Quidditch sendoff.” Percy says defensively. “And it would have worked, if Professor D hadn’t decided to be a git.”

“He’s always a git.” Thalia says with a sigh.

“He hates me.” Percy says miserably.

“You suck at Potions.” Zoё points out.

“...Okay, true.” Percy agrees. “ _But_ that’s not my fault.”

“Yes, it is.”

“ _Anyway_ ,” says Grover, before Zoё and Percy can start bickering fully, “Does anyone want to play Wizard’s Chess? I want to use the set one last time before I go home.”

\---

Percy takes his friends for granted. He doesn’t realize this until the summer hits.

It spurs him to immediately owl all of his friends. His hand shakes a bit when he writes Annabeth’s letter, because they’re getting older and they’re flirting more and Percy doesn’t know anything other than he wants Annabeth in his life no matter what.

They’re just _kids._ Children. Unable to defend themselves in the real world because they don’t have much knowledge on how to defend themselves and they can’t use magic outside of school. Percy has never once second-guessed these rules, but he’s starting to now.

He gets visited by the Ministry of Magic near the end of summer. He’s still thirteen, just two weeks shy of his fourteenth birthday, and he feels smaller than he has in his entire life. He tells the Ministry this: he doesn’t know much about Luke Castellan, only that he was a good Quidditch captain and an excellent Seeker. Percy had never talked to Luke about anything other than Quidditch. He knew nothing about Luke.

Percy wonders, briefly, if he _had_ known, maybe he could have stopped it.

Bianca di Angelo is killed in the summer before her fourth year by an Unforgivable Curse. Percy doesn’t have to ask the Ministry which one. Coincidentally, Luke Castellan goes missing. The Ministry is smart enough to put two-and-two together.

Branded onto Bianca di Angelo’s corpse is the symbol of an hourglass and a name: _Kronos_.


	3. fourth year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...The truth is, Percy Jackson, that I believe I saw the power you could come to possess if you were sorted into the correct house.”
> 
> “And...was I?”
> 
> She meets his eyes. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh and the plot thickens, as they say
> 
> /raise ur hand if u love blue-haired percy bc i sure do and he pops up in this chapter bc i really couldn't resist sorry ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> //there's a lot of percabeth in this one yaaaaay
> 
> ///percy's got some POWERS baby
> 
> (just ur friendly every chapter reminder - ofswordsandpens on ao3 and tumblr came up w almost all of slytherin!percy headcanons feat. a few others when it comes to dynamics between percy and his friends)

**fourth year**

Percy’s dad brings him to King’s Cross.

Percy’s grateful; really, he is, because it feels like his father is really trying to make a harder effort. But he knows it’s not just for that. He also knows that over the summer, when Poseidon announced that he’d be moving closer to Percy and Sally and staying around, it wasn’t just so Poseidon could try and become a better father.

Percy tries not to think about Bianca di Angelo as often as he does. Bianca was a good friend; an amazing person. He can’t believe that someone would be so evil that they would take her life away.

But someone has. And he hasn’t been caught. The self-named Dark Wizard, Kronos, has started to stir things up in the Wizarding World.

Kronos—like the Greek Titan lord of time. On Bianca di Angelo’s body, the Ministry had found an hourglass. It had been branded into her skin. Whoever Kronos was, he was already dangerous. The Ministry had already started taking precautions.

They have their suspicions. The Ministry thinks that Kronos is Luke Castellan, a Slytherin who graduated last year and had been Percy’s Quidditch captain for two years. Percy doesn’t know much about Luke, but he isn’t sure if Luke could be a murderer like that.

He remembers Connor’s words from their first year: _A lot of Dark Wizards come from Slytherin._

Could Luke be the newest one?

“Take care of yourself this year, Percy.” Poseidon says, gripping his son’s shoulder as they stand on the platform in front of the Hogwarts Express. “Watch out for your friends.”

They hug, and it’s weird, but before Percy can say anything else, Poseidon is bidding him goodbye. Percy watches as his father walks through the crowd, stopping in front of a couple with dark hair and olive-colored skin. Percy’s father embraces the woman and shakes the man’s hand. Beside the couple, Percy sees, is a small boy.

He doesn’t know who they are, or how his father knows them, but he knows it’s not his business. Percy lifts Mrs O’Leary from her basket, lets her curl up on his shoulder as best as she can, and boards the train.

He finds Annabeth first, like he usually does, but she doesn’t have a book in her hands. Instead, she has an old issue of the _Daily Prophet_. It’s the issue announcing Bianca’s death. Percy feels sick looking at it.

“Annabeth,” he says softly.

Annabeth looks up and immediately tucks the paper away. Percy sits beside her and Mrs O’Leary hops from his shoulder to curl up in Annabeth’s lap. “Hi,” she says. Her eyes flit from his to his hair. “That’s new,” she says, reaching up to run her fingers through it.

“Oh, yeah,” says Percy dismissively. His hair is dark blue now, so dark that it almost still looks the same as usual, except in the right lighting. “I dyed it on my birthday. Last-minute decision. My mum helped me do it.”

“I like it.” she says quietly. Her hand falls from his hair and instead moves to pet a dozing Mrs O’Leary.

They don’t talk about Bianca or Luke. Percy is grateful. Instead, they just sit for a few minutes, probably taking in the fact that they’ve both alive and that’s something to no longer take for granted.

And then Rachel shows up.

“Hey,” she says, already wearing a Ravenclaw sweater. She’s tied her hair back into a ponytail and is holding the portable aquarium with her toad, Harold, inside. “Percy, I see you actually went through with dyeing your hair.”

“Ah.” Percy’s hand flies up. He runs his hand through said hair. “Yep. I don’t think Mum was too happy about it in the first place, but...she did it for me.”

Rachel smiles at him. “It looks good,” she says.

Annabeth, Percy notices, is watching this exchange with a frown. He realizes it’s probably because Rachel knows more than Annabeth does. In his defense, he has about fifteen unfinished letters to Annabeth that he’d never sent but had meant to. But after hearing about Bianca, words just seemed too difficult when it came to Annabeth.

Grover joins them next. He sits beside Percy and immediately starts talking about a girl he’d met from Beauxbatons.

“Her name is Juniper,” says Grover, as Annabeth continues to pet Mrs O’Leary and look a little upset. “We hung out a few times before I started to owl her. I meant to tell you, but—”

He falls silent. Awkwardness fills the room. “Yeah,” says Percy. He lets Mrs O’Leary lick his hand. “I know. That’s amazing about Juniper, though. I’m glad you met someone.”

Annabeth glances at Percy and then quickly away, like she doesn’t want to be noticed. Percy doesn’t miss it.

Jason, Piper, and Leo are the next to arrive. Connor and Zoё come in shortly after. In the compartment across the hall, Hazel, Frank, Will, Travis, and Thalia sit, since there isn’t a compartment big enough to fit all of them together. They keep the compartment doors open, though, but none of them really speak at first. It takes a while, but soon, all of them sink into their old routines and are talking about what they’re most excited for this year.

Bianca’s absence doesn’t go unnoticed. Percy feels it in his chest, like a hole that’s only going to get bigger, and as the sky turns dark when they near Hogwarts, Percy feels like nature is mourning, too.

\---

There aren’t many first years to sort. Only a handful, enough for each house to get at least one or two new students. Slytherin is the only house that gets only one first year, and Percy’s heart breaks all over again when Headmistress Hestia announces his name.

“Di Angelo, Nico!”

The entire Great Hall goes silent. A small boy with black hair and olive-colored skin makes his way up to the stool. It’s the boy from the platform, Percy realizes. The people his father had moved to talk to must have been Bianca’s parents. The man, then, must have also been Hazel’s father. He looks over to the Hufflepuff table and sees Hazel shifting uncomfortably next to Grover.

Headmistress Hestia places the hat on Nico’s head. The hat yells, “SLYTHERIN!”

The only open seat on the end at the Slytherin table is next to Percy. Nico di Angelo comes over and sits, making no noise at all, his sunken black eyes red-rimmed as he looks around the Great Hall.

“Hey.” Percy says. Zoё and Connor both lean in a little closer toward the first year. “I’m Percy. Welcome to Slytherin.”

Nico looks over at him. “Percy Jackson?” he asks.

Percy blinks. “Yeah. How…?”

“My sister mentioned you,” he says. His voice breaks on the word ‘sister’.

“O-oh.” Percy says. He meets Connor’s eyes. “I...your sister was one of the bravest people I ever knew, Nico.”

“That’s why she made Gryffindor.” Nico says. He sounds bitter. “I guess I’m less like her than I thought.”

“Slytherin isn’t a bad house.” Percy promises. “I know it seems like that. That’s how I felt when I was sorted into Slytherin. But it doesn’t have to be a bad house. You can change that for yourself.”

Nico doesn’t answer.

Percy clears his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to say...we’re here if you need anything. These are my friends Connor Stoll and Zoё Nightshade. They’re fourth-years, like I am. And we’re always happy to help.”

“Thanks,” says Nico. His sunken expression doesn’t change.

“Anytime.” Percy says. He would try to say more, but suddenly, food appears on the platters all over the table. Food seems like a good reprieve, so he digs in and tries to make sure Nico eats at least a little bit.

\---

Percy finds himself spending more time with Rachel Dare. Thalia was right; his classes have already started to put emphasis on O.W.L.s, which means Annabeth has already started to study for them, almost two whole years in advance. And Grover is around a lot, too, but he also owls Juniper from Beauxbatons as often as he can. And Percy likes Rachel. They’d gotten closer over the summer.

“I hate this,” says Percy, as he stares at his Divination homework with utter disdain. “Is this even necessary?”

“Of course it is.” Rachel says. She looks fascinated. “I can’t believe you hate this, Percy. I _love_ this stuff. The inner eye? I’ve been meaning to ask Professor May about it, actually. I’ve had these feelings…”

She keeps talking, but Percy loses focus when he notices Annabeth walking into the library with a stack of books in her arms. She looks determined, probably in her Don’t Talk To Me zone where she forgets everyone and everything until she finishes whatever she needs to finish.

Rachel notices this. She closes her mouth, purses her lips, and then says, “Percy.”

Percy looks away from Annabeth. “Hmm?”

“You’re an idiot, y’know?”

He frowns. “What did I do?”

“Nothing.” Rachel puts her hand over his and pats it. “That’s exactly why. Now, are we going to finish this Divination homework or not? Because if we don’t, I have a feeling we’ll both fail this assignment…”

\---

Around October, Grover introduces a Muggle game that he’s been recently fascinated with.

“What is it?” asks Annabeth, frowning.

“Hackey sack,” explains Grover. Percy fights the growing smile on his face. The knitted sack fits in the center of Grover’s palm. “You throw it, and then you use your body to kick it—mostly your feet and legs, but you can also use your chest and arms. Just not your hands.”

He still uses his crutches every day, but his walking has gotten better since first year. Percy still doesn’t know much about the details of Grover’s disability, mostly because he’s never asked and he doesn’t want to make Grover talk about, but he knows it’s permanent. The easier Grover adjusts to it, the better.

They try to play and fail miserably. It’s all Annabeth’s fault, but Percy wouldn’t say that out loud. Percy and Grover were able to play the game just fine, but when the hackey sack would get tossed to Annabeth, she wouldn’t do so well.

“I just need practice!” Annabeth complains, when Percy and Grover snicker behind their heads. “Oh, I hate you two so much.”

“No, you don’t.” Grover says. Percy slings his arm around Annabeth’s neck and grins.

“You love us, Wise Girl.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes. She loops one arm around Percy’s waist and the other around Grover’s and looks at both of her friends. “Yeah,” she says. “I guess I do.”

\---

Annabeth forgets all about her hackey sack issues, though, the next time they play. They decide to do it in the Great Hall during lunch, but since Grover doesn’t have the official hackey sack with him, they decide to use an apple.

They don’t realise that they’re being watched by the other students in the hall until Percy kicks the apple toward Grover’s head and he catches it with his mouth.

\---

Percy sees Nico di Angelo sitting in the stadium during a Slytherin Quidditch practice.

He signals to the new captain, a sixth-year named Ethan Nakamura, and flies over to where Nico is sitting, watching the players while twisting a ring placed on his finger.

“Hey,” he says. Nico looks up in surprise. “What’s up?”

“Just watching,” Nico replies. “I like Quidditch. Is that a crime?”

Percy blinks. “Uh, no. Of course not. You just look unsettled.”

Nico snorts. “Gee,” he says. “I wonder why.”

Percy sighs. He flies over the stands and then de-mounts his broom, stepping on the bleachers until he can sit beside Nico with his bat and broom in his hands. “Listen, Nico,” he says, as Connor fights both Bludgers on his own. “I didn’t know Bianca for very long. I met her in my second year. So I know that I can’t possibly understand what you’re feeling right now.”

“When I get out of here,” says Nico, looking at anything except Percy, “I’m going to find this Kronos and I’m going to kill him.”

“You don’t mean that,” says Percy worriedly.

“I do.” Nico’s eyes look darker than black. “He killed my sister for no reason.”

Percy pauses for a moment. He looks up at Nakamura. “Tell you what,” he says. “Why don’t we put revenge on the backburner for now? Let me talk to the captain and see if we can lend you an extra broom.”

Nico’s eyes widen. He looks like a child then, like an actual eleven-year-old in awe of Hogwarts. “Really?”

“One of our Chasers is out sick with a fever.” Percy says. He stands up. “I know it’s not technically allowed, but we need an extra. What do you say?”

He makes friends with Nico di Angelo that day. Percy hopes that’s a good thing.

\---

“Want to go to Hogsmeade with me?” Rachel asks casually.

Percy looks up at her. She looks weird, Percy decides, sitting at the Slytherin table. Everyone is decked out in House colors for the Slytherin-Gryffindor Quidditch game. Rachel, courtesy of Zoё, is wearing a Slytherin scarf around her neck and a Gryffindor tie tucked into a zip-up sweatshirt.

“When?” Percy asks around a mouthful of eggs.

“Next weekend.” she says. “I need to buy some stuff and I figured I’d ask you to come along.”

“Oh,” he says. “Um, yeah. Sure. That would be cool.”

“Cool.” Rachel grins. “Yeah. I need to buy birthday presents for Thalia and Hazel.”

“Their birthdays aren’t for over a month.”

“True, but I’m going to early so I can get the pre-holiday prices.” she brushes her hair out of her face. “Plus, we’re on holiday over both their birthdays, and I’m travelling with my parents this year, so I just want to give them their presents early. We could find stuff for you to buy, too, if you want.”

Percy spreads his hands. “I have no money.”

“Well, I have all the money.” Rachel says. She’s a Muggle-born, but her parents are rich in the Muggle world, which means they have a lot of Muggle money to transfer to Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts for their only daughter to spend. “I can pay for you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

She rolls her eyes. “ _Please_ , Jackson. We’re friends. You can pay me back eventually.”

“Okay.” Percy says. He takes a sip of orange juice. “Sure. I’ll see you after the match.”

“Good luck.” Rachel says. Then she rises from the table and leaves the Great Hall.

\---

“What are you doing for Hogsmeade?” Annabeth asks.

Percy stops drawing circles on his spare parchment and looks up at her. “M’going with Rachel,” he says. He isn’t sure why he says it so reluctantly.

Annabeth pauses in her studies. She looks up. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

She fiddles with the necklace around her neck. “Like...a date?”

“I don’t think so.” Percy says honestly. “She just needs to buy birthday presents for friends and she asked me to come with.”

“It sounds like a date.”

“Should it be?”

Annabeth looks at him carefully. “I don’t know,” she says. “Do you like Rachel?”

“I don’t know.” Percy shrugs. His leg starts bouncing under the table. “I mean, she’s my friend.”

“But do you _fancy_ her?”

“I said I don’t know, Wise Girl.” he complains.

“Well, you have to like someone.” Annabeth says. She sets her quill down.

“Do _you_ like someone?” Percy asks her, frowning.

Annabeth blushes. Just a little bit. She tugs on the necklace around her neck and then lets go, picking her quill up to return to her homework. “That’s not what we’re talking about. Let’s just get back to the homework.”

Percy stares at her for a minute. Then, eventually, he follows suit, scribbling out the circles on the parchment.

\---

The weirdest thing happens while he’s in Hogsmeade.

First, he notices the extra security. More Aurors around, trying to look inconspicuous but failing. Some of the shops keep their doors closed at all times rather than leaving one open, like they used to. Percy doesn’t keep up with the _Daily Prophet_ much, but he knows there have been no updates about Kronos. Which means good and bad things.

Second, he follows Rachel into Honeydukes. They both buy candy—Percy buys an extra chocolate bar, because he knows it’s Annabeth’s favorite—and when they turn to leave, Percy’s shoulder slams into something invisible.

He doesn’t know what it is. He almost reaches out with his free arm to see if something was there, but Rachel calls his name before he can.

Later, when Percy gives Annabeth the Honeydukes chocolate bar, she seems a little more excited than usual.

\---

Poseidon is absent for Christmas that year. Sally doesn’t explain much, but Percy knows why.

He and his friends invite Nico di Angelo to Jason’s for their annual holiday celebration.

\---

In February, when Slytherin plays Ravenclaw, Percy knocks Annabeth off her broom.

Well, _almost._ They’d been in a weird state for a couple weeks, where most conversations turned to arguing. It only happened when they were alone, though. If Grover was with them, or Piper or Leo or _anyone_ else, it’s fine. It’s only when Percy and Annabeth decide to hang out, just the two of them, that they argue.

Percy doesn’t really understand it. He tells Connor about it, who just laughs.

It’s confusing, though, when Annabeth throws the Quaffle toward Will Solace, and instead it goes sailing over his head and toward the commentary podium where Rachel is standing.

Headmistress Hestia uses a Levitation charm to put the ball back on the pitch.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Percy shouts to Annabeth, gaping at her.

Annabeth glares back. “I missed!” she says.

A Bludger comes near Percy then, sailing past Connor. Percy, in his brief moment of anger, hits it, and it flies straight toward Annabeth.

The entire crowd gasps when she flips upside down. Percy’s heart catches in his throat when she’s gripping her broom for dear life, only holding on with her knees tightly wrapped around the handle.

The entire game seems to pause.

Percy’s about to fly over and help, but he feels frozen where he hovers, staring at Annabeth with wide eyes. Before he can force himself to move, Annabeth grunts and swings upwards, grasping her broom with her hands.

She flips back up. There is a collective sigh from the crowd. Even Headmistress Hestia looks relieved.

Later, after Ravenclaw has won the game, Percy tries to get to her when they’re leaving the locker rooms. He has to physically push a few of the Ravenclaw students aside, but when he finally gets his hand on her arm, she pushes him away.

“Annabeth!” Percy reaches for her again. “Wise Girl, hey—ow—don’t _kick_ me!”

“You did that on purpose!” Annabeth says, furiously crossing her arms over her chest. “Because I _accidentally_ threw the Quaffle at your girlfriend!”

“I— _what?_ —Rachel’s not my girlfriend!” Percy grips her upper arm and pulls her out of the cheering Ravenclaw crowd. They’re on the side of the corridor now, pressed against the wall. “And I _know_ you, Annabeth. You don’t miss. That was on purpose.”

“Was _not_.”

“It was.” Percy replies. Annabeth glances up at him stubbornly. “But me hitting that Bludger at you wasn’t. I promise. I was just—mad, because I thought you’d purposely tried to hit Rachel in the face with a Quaffle. I thought you two were friends.”

“We aren’t.” Annabeth mutters.

“Well, you’re both _my_ friends.” he says. She still isn’t looking at him. Percy reaches out to grab her chin and guides it so she’s looking him in the eyes. “Wise Girl. I’m _sorry_.”

Annabeth’s expression softens. She says, “Me too.”

“And I’m sorry we’ve been fighting,” he adds, before he can stop himself. “I don’t know why we’re fighting, but I hate it. You’re one of my best friends. Next to Grover, of course.”

He can’t help but think it’s different when it comes to Annabeth.

“I’m just stressed.” Annabeth admits. “And I think I’ve been taking most of it out on you. And I’m sorry about it, too. I’ll try to work on it.”

“I’ll try not to be as annoying.” Percy says with a slight grin.

She scoffs. “Good luck with that, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy laughs. He lets go of her. “I guess I should let you join your house in the festivities.”

“Have fun sulking in the dungeons.” Annabeth replies. She grins. “Ravenclaw is the best.”

“We beat you last year!” Percy protests.

“And we beat you the year before.” she counters.

Percy rolls his eyes as she backs up and walks away. He watches her until she disappears around the corner, and then he laughs, walking the opposite way to the dungeons with his hands in his pockets.

\---

He has his first run-in with Octavian since first-year in March.

“I heard Kronos has been kidnapping Muggle-borns, mostly,” says Octavian in his cruel, nasally voice. He’s lounging on the couch with two of his friends when Percy enters the common room after a Slytherin Quidditch practice and a study session with Annabeth. “Not that I blame him. Mudbloods are the worst. Have you seen that one in Hufflepuff? Hundreds of students at this school and he’s the only crippled one. It makes sense that his parents are Muggles. S’probably why he’s deformed.”

Percy’s wand is out before he can even think. “Say that again.” he says, his voice sounding strange in his own ears..

Octavian notices him then. Percy doesn’t know what he expects Octavian to do, but he definitely doesn’t expect a grin to slide across Octavian’s face. “Jackson,” he says, in a particularly unpleasant tone. “Are you still friends with that cripple?”

Percy can feel his heart pounding in his ears. He shouts the first spell that comes to mind: “ _Aguamenti!”_

Water sprays from Percy’s wand. He’s used this spell before, in Charms, but he’s never seen this much water rush from his wand. It jets across the entire common room and hits Octavian right in the face, causing the blond Slytherin to splutter and reach for his wand.

 _More_ , Percy thinks. Almost like it’s connected to his thoughts, the water sprays faster, soaking the couches and Octavian’s friends. Percy flicks his wand, just a little bit, and the water focuses on Octavian, forming a bubble of water covering his face.

“Jackson!” one of Octavian’s friends yells. “Quit it!”

“He called my best friend a—” Percy can’t even say it. He knew very little about Muggle-born slurs until last year, when Grover had comforted a first-year Hufflepuff who had been crying after being called one. Octavian thrashes, but the bubble stays firmly around his head, even as he tries desperately to get rid of it.

“Percy!” The next voice is Connor, standing in the doorway of the fourth year boys’ dormitory. Beside him, oddly, is Nico di Angelo, watching the exchange between Percy and Octavian with glittering black eyes. “Percy, you’re killing him. Shut it off.”

Some of the anger dissipates when Percy sees his friends. So he lowers his wand. Just like that. Octavian’s face is tinted blue from asphyxia. His friends lift him up and drag him out of the room, probably to the Hospital Wing, staring at Percy with horrified expressions.

“What did you just do?” Connor demands. “How did you do that?”

Percy’s hands are shaking. “I—I don’t know.”

He doesn’t. He doesn’t know if Connor believes him. He stays frozen, right in front of the common room entrance, as Connor and Nico descend the stairs. “You’re going to be in a lot of trouble, Percy.” Nico says. He’s adapted pretty well since October, Percy thinks. “You have to know what you did and _how_. Professor Hestia’s going to have a lot of questions.”

\---

She does. The small, mousy-haired Headmistress sits behind her desk, staring at Percy with her warm brown eyes that don’t look so warm at the moment. He remembers the strange look she’d given him on the day of his Sorting. He can kind of see it in her eyes now.

“I’m telling you, Professor,” says Percy, his mouth feeling oddly dry. His fingers tap on his thighs. “I don’t know how I did it. I just—I flicked my wand, and it’s like my magic did it for me.”

“Jackson—”

“He was talking about _Kronos_.” Percy interrupts. He thought he’d mentioned that, but clearly he hadn’t, because the color drains from Hestia’s face. “He said that Kronos has been kidnapping Muggle-borns and that they deserve it. He called my best friend a—a—”

“I know.” Hestia says, and Percy falls silent, letting out a noise of frustration. “But you can’t hex him just because he said that. I’m not taking sides. It’s against Hogwarts rules to hex a student, Mr. Jackson.”

“Is it true?” Percy asks desperately. “About Kronos. I haven’t seen anything in the _Prophet_.”

Hestia visibly struggles to come to an answer. She laces her fingers together and places her entwined hands on her desk. “The Ministry,” she says, very slowly, “thinks it’s best not to worry anyone.”

“So it’s true.” Percy feels hot and cold all over. Another Dark Wizard. Another Slytherin. “They think it’s Luke Castellan, Professor. Is it?”

Hestia says nothing.

Percy wants to punch something desperately. “I hate this,” he says savagely. Hestia looks at him with surprise. “I hate the fact that Octavian thinks he’s _better_ than Grover just because of his blood. I hate that we have to _put up_ with blatant—”

“The world is in turmoil, Percy.” Hestia says softly. “Our world and the Muggle world. Prejudice has been a large aspect of the Wizarding World since the dawn of time. I do not suspect that will change.”

“It should.”

Hestia smiles fractionally. “I believe so, too, Mr. Jackson.”

Percy takes a deep breath. “Professor,” he says. “When I was Sorted, you...looked at me funny. I know that sounds stupid, but...my friend says that my Sorting was one of the longest in history. I was wondering if you knew why that is.”

“No one knows the Sorting Hat but the Sorting Hat.” Hestia glances to one of the shelves on her office, where the Sorting Hat sits. “I cannot tell you why it took so long. Only the hat can. And I assume that it _did_ tell you, when you were sorted.”

“It said that each house would lead me on a different path.” Percy recalls.

Hestia nods. “I suppose the way I looked at you might have caused you worry. I’m not too great at keeping a straight face. The truth is, Percy Jackson, that I believe I saw the power you could come to possess if you were sorted into the correct house.”

“And...was I?”

She meets his eyes. “Yes.”

“The water.” Percy says. “That...wasn’t normal.” He doesn’t want to be a Dark Wizard. He can make his own choices, can’t he?

“We’ll have to save the explanations for another day.” Hestia says. She stands up. “You will have detention for eight weeks. That’s the best I can do. I’ll see if Professor Chiron needs help first.”

Percy leaves her office, feeling worse than he did before. Connor and Nico are waiting outside for him when he descends the spiral staircase, possibly hoping to get answers from Percy, but he tells them none. He feels like the conversation in Hestia’s office should never be shared. He feels a lot of things, and is unable to stop any of them.

\---

Grover cries when he hears what Percy did. Annabeth only looks at Percy worriedly, like she knows exactly what happened, and she can see right through him. Octavian, when released from the Hospital Wing, makes a clear point to stay away from Percy as much as possible.

Percy feels like an outcast. Word of what he did spreads through the castle like rapid fire. He feels people pointing at him, whispering at him, whenever he walks through the halls.

Rachel pats his hand comfortingly when he sees her next. She never brings it up again. If Percy thought there was something more than friendship going on between the two of them, it has passed. Percy isn’t sure how he feels about it.

Eight weeks after he’s done it, he finishes detention, and the whispers are still there.

\---

The last match of the year is Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. Percy doesn’t really want to win, not when he feels like Kronos is growing to be a bigger threat every day and when Luke Castellan might be the face behind it. He feels like his house is even more divided than ever, and that the only people who aren’t on Octavian’s side are Nico, Connor, and Zoё.

Percy’s alone in the locker room, ready to head out to meet his team, when he hears, “ _Psst!”_

The air shimmers in front of him. Suddenly, he’s face to face with Annabeth, who is dressed in Slytherin colors and gripping a navy baseball cap in her right hand.

Percy yelps.

“Shh!” Annabeth covers his mouth. “They’ll _hear_ you, Seaweed Brain.”

“How did you—”

She holds up the cap. “Remember when I told you my mom gave me a Christmas present, when I was twelve?”

Barely. “Uh huh.”

“It was this.” She waves it. “Invisibility cap. I don’t know how she did it.”

Suddenly, Percy remembers Hogsmeade. The invisible force he’d rammed his shoulder into. “You were there,” he says. “In Hogsmeade. When I was with Rachel.”

Annabeth’s face turns red. “I’m here to say good luck,” she says, immediately changing the topic. “This would be a big win for Slytherin, you know. You guys would win the House Cup.”

“We won first year.” Percy says, shrugging. “I don’t see why we need to win again.”

“Because Hufflepuff sucks.” she says firmly. Percy gapes at her. “Er...Don’t tell Grover and Hazel that I said that. But they do! Besides, Ravenclaw hasn’t won yet since we’ve been here. Right now, my house is rooting for yours.”

“The Hufflepuff Quidditch team is scary.” Percy complains.

“You’re a bloody Slytherin!” Annabeth waves her arms. “ _You’re_ scary. Kick their asses, won’t you?” She smiles slightly and learns closer. “I have a bet with Grover and I don’t have the Galleons I’d owe him if Hufflepuff wins. So I really, _really_ need this.”

“Percy!” Connor shouts from outside the locker room. “Come _on!”_

“I have to go.” Percy says. He hugs her quickly. “But I’ll try to win. But we’ll probably lose.”

Annabeth glares at him like she’s going to punch him. Then she does something that surprises Percy even more.

She kisses him.

“Good luck, Seaweed Brain. Kick Hufflepuff’s ass.” Annabeth says. Then she puts her hat on and vanishes.

Percy stands there for a good minute. He probably could have stayed there all day, but then Connor jogs into the locker room and drags Percy onto the pitch by his Quidditch uniform.

\---

Slytherin wins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it MIGHT be a little longer before the next chapter goes up. i'm in the middle of it right now but it's kind of kicking my ass - there's a lot of things that need to happen and i just can't write them the way i want to. hopefully i can get it finished/revised within the next couple of days! 
> 
> hope u enjoyed :)


	4. fifth year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve—I’ve been reading. Sometimes, really powerful bloodlines come with really powerful magic. Sometimes this magic means the wizards and witches from the bloodline can use wordless magic easily, or can do things with their magic that a spell can’t do.”
> 
> “What are you thinking?” he asks.
> 
> Annabeth’s grey eyes are stormy. “When you told me about your dad when we were in second year, you said he was a Greek wizard, right? A nomad.”
> 
> “I—yeah, that’s what my mum told me before I met him.”
> 
> “And you said he was from a powerful bloodline.”
> 
> “Annabeth—”
> 
> “I think you’re from a powerful bloodline, Percy.” Annabeth continues. “That’s why you were able to do what you did to Octavian. And I think Professor Hestia knew that, but she didn’t tell you, because—”
> 
> She falls silent. Percy stares at her as she lowers her gaze to Mrs O’Leary. “What?” Percy says, even though he already knows what she’s going to say.
> 
> Annabeth spreads her hands against Mrs O’Leary’s fur. “Because all Dark Wizards come from powerful bloodlines.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest and the most important chapter thus far. it may be the second-most important overall. a LOT of things happen in this chapter - good things and bad things, i should say. this monster took me forever to write. i didn't really proofread for typos, so fingers crossed that there aren't many :)
> 
> /some good percabeth moments in this one, kiddos. some other things happen that you should pay attention to, because of big foreshadowing. hang on for the ride
> 
> //i feel like there are so many characters and it's hard to make sure they're all mentioned or in a scene so i hope this is better idk idk please enjoy
> 
> ///also, i didn't mean for this to happen, but this is very OOTP-esque haha. you'll see what i mean as you read

 

 ****Percy Jackson is fifteen years old and is scared out of his wits.

So many things have changed that he feels like his life is completely different. His mom is with someone new, but Paul Blofis is a much better person than Gabe Ugliano ever could be. And Sally’s the happiest she’s been in quite a long time. He’s gone back to zero contact with his father, because Poseidon has been gone trying to find the newest Dark Wizard and bring him to justice. And Kronos’s army has been growing day by day, but still hasn’t been spotted anywhere. It feels like a battle that the Wizarding World is destined to lose.

On top of it all, Percy remains at a loss at where he lies with Annabeth. He remembers the day in the locker room like it was yesterday; he remembers Annabeth’s smiling face as he and the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team kicked Hufflepuff’s ass, just like she told him to. And he remembers hugging her after the match, when the Slytherin student section (and anyone else who wanted to) stormed the pitch in an uproar, her arms around his neck as he’d spun her around and set her back on her feet, grinning.

But other than that, everything felt the same. They weren’t different. They didn’t talk about the kiss afterwards. It was like it had never happened. Not that it probably mattered, in the grand scheme of things, but it mattered to Percy. And he’s sure it mattered to Annabeth, since she’s the one who initiated it. But he’s never been able to get her alone to get the stupid words out of his mouth.

Percy rarely sees Grover anymore. His best friend has been spending more time with Juniper, his Beauxbatons girlfriend, and even though Percy’s incredibly happy for him, he really misses Grover a lot. More than he could probably describe.

So Percy’s relationships with his two best friends are a little off. That makes him feel like his world is crumbling. He can’t remember the last time he actually felt _scared_ , but the feeling grips his heart with a cold hand and he doesn’t know how to calm himself down.

The Hogwarts Express seems emptier, this time around. Some Muggle-borns have stopped coming, either because their parents decided it or because Kronos made it impossible to do so. Percy finds himself hugging his mother tighter than he probably would have if there weren’t a war brewing. He waits until he sees her disappear through the barrier off the platform before he boards the train.

Percy finds Annabeth first, like a reflex, sitting in her own compartment with a book in her lap. As soon as Percy enters, Mrs O’Leary leaps from his arms and lands right on top of Annabeth’s book, causing her to drop it in surprise.

“Ah, Merlin.” Percy run his hands through his hair. “Sorry, Wise Girl. She’s never done that before.”

But Annabeth has already forgotten about the book, her hands busy petting Mrs O’Leary as the black cat purrs in her arms. “I don’t mind,” she says. “She missed me.”

“We both did.” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Annabeth looks up at him and blinks. “Your hair got longer.”

Percy runs a hand through it and nods. The summer had been awful. Mostly because he hadn’t seen any of his friends. He’d written letters, of course, but travelling had become a little more dangerous and Percy didn’t want to put his mother in the middle of it. “It did,” he says.

“This is weird,” she decides.

Percy exhales. “It is. Why is it weird?”

“Because things are changing.” Annabeth says. Percy sits beside her and she shifts so they’re facing each other. He feels like his heart is doing a relay race in his chest. “I guess my mum is working to find Kronos. I didn’t know that until this summer.”

“So’s my dad,” says Percy.

“I feel a bit scared for her.”

“Me too.”

Annabeth exhales. Mrs O’Leary nudges her hand with her nose. “I just wish we could have had a normal seven years in Hogwarts. A normal life. Is that too much to ask?”

“Apparently.” Percy says. His hand twitches. He wants to reach out and take her free hand in his own, but he doesn’t. “Though to be fair, my Hogwarts experience has been abnormal since I was Sorted.”

She looks up from Mrs O’Leary and meets his eyes. “I was thinking,” she says. “About what happened with Octavian last year. You haven’t had any other strange bouts of magic like that?”

Percy shakes his head.

“I’ve—I’ve been reading. Sometimes, really powerful bloodlines come with really powerful magic. Sometimes this magic means the wizards and witches from the bloodline can use wordless magic easily, or can do things with their magic that a spell can’t do.”

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

Annabeth’s grey eyes are stormy. “When you told me about your dad when we were in second year, you said he was a Greek wizard, right? A nomad.”

“I—yeah, that’s what my mum told me before I met him.”

“And you said he was from a powerful bloodline.”

“Annabeth—”

“I think _you’re_ from a powerful bloodline, Percy.” Annabeth continues. “That’s why you were able to do what you did to Octavian. And I think Professor Hestia knew that, but she didn’t tell you, because—”

She falls silent. Percy stares at her as she lowers her gaze to Mrs O’Leary. “What?” Percy says, even though he already knows what she’s going to say.

Annabeth spreads her hands against Mrs O’Leary’s fur. “Because all Dark Wizards come from powerful bloodlines.”

Percy feels nauseous. “She said that to me.” he says. “Well, not exactly that—she said that she saw the amount of power I could come to possess if I were sorted into the correct house.”

“And were you?”

Annabeth knows the answer already. It’s written all over her face. “Yeah,” Percy says, and looks away so he can’t see her expression change.

“Percy—”

“I don’t want it.” Percy blurts out. “None of it. I don’t want to be some powerful wizard. I don’t want power. I just want to be a regular wizard.”

“But you do.” Annabeth says, after a moment of silence. She waits until Percy looks at her again to keep talking. “That’s why you’re in Slytherin.”

“I _don’t_ —”

“When you’re Sorted into your house, it’s based off of traits that you _value._ Not traits you possess.” Annabeth tucks a curl behind her ear. “You can possess the traits you value, of course. Percy, you said the Sorting Hat said you would go through a different path depending on what house you were placed in. The Sorting Hat placed you in _Slytherin._  You value—”

“Slytherin isn’t just about power!” Percy interrupts. He thinks his hands are starting to shake, but he can’t be sure. “Slytherin is about—about being ambitious, and determined, and resourceful, and having self-preservation.”

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Percy, I’m not—”

“I _won’t_ have that kind of power.” Percy says fiercely. He stands up. “That’s not me. Bianca _died_ because of someone with that kind of power.”

“I _know_ you aren’t, but you’re a Slytherin for a reason—”

“Stop.” he says. Annabeth’s mouth shuts. “Please, stop.”

“Hey.” Annabeth leans forward and grabs Percy’s hand. “I don’t think you’re going to be a Dark Wizard, Percy. You can use that power for good. I _know_ you, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy says nothing. Annabeth studies him for a moment, giving his hand a squeeze.

“And—and whatever happens, I’m here with you.” she says firmly. “You and me. We don’t have to tell anybody else, if you want. But I’m sticking around whether you want me to or not.”

She makes a tugging motion on his hand and Percy collapses onto the bench. He feels cold all over, and a little embarrassed, but Annabeth is watching him with the expression she had on her face just after they’d kissed in the Slytherin locker room and—

“Annabeth.” Percy murmurs. “I—I need to—”

“Hey! I found them!” Piper appears in the doorway of the compartment. Annabeth and Percy spring apart to opposite ends of the bench. Mrs O’Leary is not happy about this; she hisses and leaps out of Annabeth’s arms to settle herself in her own corner of the opposite booth. “Hey, guys.”

Percy’s face feels warm. “Hey, Piper. How was your summer?”

He and Annabeth don’t speak for the rest of the train ride, but more than once they exchange glances. Percy isn’t sure if his friends can tell that something’s different, but he can, and he doesn’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

\---

O.W.L.s start to suck for Percy by October.

All of a sudden they’re all he hears about. He’s grateful, in a way, for the reprieve from the rest of his thoughts, but the impending standardized tests mean that his professors give out more homework and Percy can really only take so much.

Annabeth seems to live in the library. Percy doesn’t see her much unless he’s sitting at a table with her, but even then she never pays attention. He can say anything he wants to and she clearly isn’t listening.

(He does, once. He says, “Your hair’s on fire,” and she says, “Yeah, I get that.”)

The only teacher who seems to understand what Percy’s feeling is Professor Chiron, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and the only centaur to teach at Hogwarts. Percy had started coming to Professor Chiron’s office after he finished his detentions last year, when Professor Hestia had kindly arranged for Percy to sort things for hours of detention instead of having to scrub the trophy room or something equally abhorrent. But even then, Professor Chiron seems to only accept the best from Percy.

“You’re about to spill your ink everywhere.” Nico di Angelo warns, causing Percy’s eyes to shoot open. He’s sitting in the Slytherin common room, a piece of parchment on his lap with a quill and inkwell. Nico takes the things off of Percy’s lap and places them on the table in front of them. “You also look dead on your feet. Well, dead on your ass, I guess.”

“I’m not sleeping well.” Percy admits. It takes him more than a minute to realize that Connor and Zoё are standing beside Nico. “Plus, I suck at homework.”

“Haven’t you been studying with Annabeth?” Connor points out.

Percy rubs his face. “Trying to. She’s in a zone.”

“Ouch.” Zoё makes a face. “Still?”

“I think she’s been replaced. Or put under an Imperius Curse.” Percy says. He tries to sound like he’s joking, but it comes out more like a serious worry than anything. Connor’s eyebrows furrow fractionally.

“I think you forgot that you’ve got a couple cool friends in your house who can help you with your homework.” Zoё says, crossing her arms over her chest. She gives Percy a look. “Do you need a hint as to who they are?”

Percy grins sheepishly. “Sorry, Zoё. I know. I feel like I haven’t talked to you guys that much. I’ve just…got a lot on my mind.”

“We all do.” Connor promises. “Hey, here’s an idea. Why don’t we rendezvous with the one-eyed witch statue and see if Madam Persephone will spot us a few Butterbeers? We haven’t done that in a while. I bet she misses us.”

And that’s what they do. They stay in the Three Broomsticks, the four of them, squeezed into a booth in the corner, until they finish their drinks. Percy feels warm and happy for the first time in a while.

Of course, that’s when it all goes to shit.

They’re exiting the bar when there’s a sharp pain to the back of Percy’s head and everything goes black.

\---

When Percy wakes up, he has no idea where he is.

He’s lying on the floor when he comes to. His vision is blurry at first, but after blinking a few times he realizes that it’s just incredibly dim in the room. He isn’t bound, or gagged, and when he spreads his fingers flat on the ground beside him, his fingers close around his wand.

He sits up and that’s when he sees.

Standing in front of him in Muggle clothing is someone he’d known for two years. A tall, broad-shouldered nineteen-year-old, leaning against the wall, twisting his wand between his fingers. His skin is pale, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. His smile is twisted. Most noticeably, though, is the scar tracing from just below his right eye to the bottom of his jaw.

Percy’s mouth feels like he’s trying to swallow sandpaper. “Luke.” he says.

“I don’t suppose I have to tell you why you’re here.” Luke says. He beckons for Percy to stand, and Percy does; he doesn’t know if he does it of his own accord or of Luke’s magic. “I’ve actually been trying to speak with you for a while now.”

“Why?”

“I heard about what you did with Octavian.” he shrugs. “I never really did like him, so I was a bit pleased to hear that you nearly drowned him.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Percy says.

“Didn’t you?” Luke lowers his wand. “What did he do that set you off? Didn’t he call Grover a—”

“Don’t say it.” Percy says sharply. To his surprise, Luke falls silent. “Why am I here? Where am I?”

“On Hogwarts grounds. You’re not far. I’m not kidnapping you,” adds Luke, when Percy opens his mouth again. “Obviously, I’ve let you keep your wand. It’s a…peace offering, if you will. Maybe an opportunity.”

“I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“You don’t understand—”

“How did you get that scar?” Percy interrupts.

For a moment, Luke looks genuinely surprised. Then the guarded look is back on his face. “I’m sure you’ve guessed.”

Percy grips his wand. “How?” he says again, but it’s more of a statement than a question.

“Bianca di Angelo put up a great fight,” says Luke, like he’s telling a story. “I started talking to her over Christmas of my seventh year. She was cute. I wasn’t going to _do_ anything with her, but I enjoyed her company. She obviously enjoyed mine. But I didn’t trust her. Not until the summer. But when I told her about my plans, she…she _changed_. Suddenly she didn’t want anything to do with me. Obviously, I couldn’t let her run off to her father before I’d started what I wanted to do, you know? I didn’t want to kill her. Not at first.”

He gestured to his scar. “Nasty curse. Bianca had some tricks up her sleeve. I assume she learned them from her father.”

“So you _are_ Kronos.” Percy feels like he’s going to pass out. “You killed Bianca. You—all of those _Muggle-borns_ —”

“Don’t you see, Percy?” Luke pushes himself off the wall. “I’m making this world a better place. Muggle-borns are abnormalities. They shouldn’t exist. By getting rid of them—”

“You’re talking about slaughtering—”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Luke snaps.

“I’m not joining you.” Percy snarls.

“Shame,” says Luke. “You have the kind of power we could really use. Not that I don’t have enough tricks up my sleeves, but—”

“I’m. _Not._ Joining. You.” he repeats. Percy’s hand is gripping his wand so tight his hand is starting to cramp. He can feel his arm trembling. “What you’re doing—it’s a massacre. And we’ll stop you.”

At this, the blond looks amused. “You and what army, Percy? Hogwarts barely trains us. I’ve got friends in the castle. Anything new they teach, we learn. We’re unstoppable. You can’t beat me. We’ll make the Wizarding World as great as it once was. And the Mudbloods are just the beginning.”

Percy raises his wand arm.

Luke laughs. “What are you going to do? Jinx me with a Jelly-Legs Curse? Hogwarts is a _joke_ and you know it. But, as I said,” adds Luke, before Percy can say anything, “You’re not a prisoner here. If you want to walk out, I won’t stop you.”

There’s a loud popping sound and Luke is gone, having Apparated away in the blink of an eye. A weight lifts off of Percy’s chest. He deflates, breathing out, feeling his heart pound rapidly in his chest.

Merlin.

Percy throws the door open and gets out of there as fast as he can.

\---

Percy realizes, as he’s running across the green in the dark, that he’d been underneath the Whomping Willow.

He doesn’t know how. He doesn’t really have the time to think about it; he isn’t sure where his friends are, but he doesn’t try to go back to Hogsmeade. He heads straight for the castle, running as fast as he can for the dungeons.

 _Hogwarts is a_ joke _and you know it. I’ve got friends in the castle. Anything new they teach, we can learn._

_We’re unstoppable._

_We’ll make the Wizarding World as great as it once was._

He wheezes, “Pure-blood,” and immediately feels even worse. And it doesn’t help when he takes in the sight in front of him.

The common room is filled with people. What strikes him most, though, is that only three of them are Slytherins. The rest are his friends, sitting on the couches or standing or pacing. Percy sees Hazel and Nico first, sitting beside each other on one of the couches, muttering to each other in quiet tones. Jason and Thalia are standing next to each other, accompanied by Piper, Leo, and Travis Stoll; Connor and Zoё are by themselves, with Frank, Rachel, and Will behind them.

Then Percy finds Annabeth, and his heart flips.

She’s sitting with Grover, shaking her head while the Hufflepuff murmurs something to her. She looks pale and worried, almost maybe sick, and Percy wants to say something, but when he opens his mouth, no sound comes out.

None of them seem to notice him at first.

And then Annabeth does.

“Percy.” she breathes, shooting to her feet. Everyone else goes silent, their eyes snapping to his face.

“Uh.” Percy says weakly. “Hi.”

Annabeth crosses the room faster than Percy has ever seen anyone move in his entire life. She stares at him with the same expression from the locker room and from the train compartment, and Percy immediately feels his face heat up despite the current situation, because _is she going to kiss him in front of all of their friends_ —

But then she throws her arms around him, hugging him so fiercely that Percy’s ribs feel like they’re cracking, and for a moment, Percy forgets how to breathe.

“What the _hell_ , Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth pushes him away just as quickly as she’d embraced him. The strange expression is gone from her face and has been replaced by a myriad of emotions—anger, worry, relief. “Connor, Nico, and Zoё came pounding on the Ravenclaw common room door saying something about you _disappearing_ in Hogsmeade because you _snuck out_ of the castle—”

“I know.” Percy says weakly. “I’m sorry. I—I was knocked out by something and I woke up in a shack and—Luke is Kronos,” he blurts.

Annabeth freezes. “What?”

“Luke.” Percy repeats. He dares to look at Thalia, whose face is growing paler by the second. He knows they were close, but he doesn’t know the extent of it. “Luke is Kronos. He kidnapped me to invite me to join his cause.”

He quickly retells the story of his encounter with Luke. He feels cold all over, still, and doesn’t even make it to the couch before he sinks to the floor, sitting down with his hands in his hair. He doesn’t know that Annabeth has sat beside him until he feels the press of her shoulder against his own.

Nico’s face is streaked with tears. Hazel has gripped his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles. Percy’s voice chokes when he mentions Bianca. He sort of understands Nico’s anger now. He’s not sure if he’d been able to understand it until this moment, when he _knows_ the truth for certain and he sees the emotions on the faces of his friends. When he realizes that Bianca di Angelo was with them two years ago and now she isn’t, and it’s just not _fair._

“What are we going to do?” asks Annabeth quietly.

“Go the Ministry.” Nico says immediately. “Tell them what Percy knows. Once they know for sure that it’s Luke, they have a better chance at actually catching him.”

“If we tell the Ministry, they’ll have a lot of questions.” Connor warns. “Especially about how Luke actually _got_ Percy out there.”

Nico glares at him. “You’re not actually telling me that you want to keep this from the Ministry just to save your secret passageways.”

“Did I even _say_ anything about that? _No_ —”

“Guys.” Percy interrupts, and both of his friends fall silent. He lifts his head. “Nico’s right. The Ministry has to find out. And if they ask, we’ll tell them about the one-eyed witch. Hopefully, they’ll just assume that Luke snuck into the castle on his own.”

“You need a better alibi if you’re going to lie to the Ministry of Magic.” Connor points out.

“You were walking back from the library.” Annabeth says. Percy looks at her. “Studying with me and Piper. You walked past the one-eyed witch statue and felt something sharp hit the back of your neck. The next thing you knew, you woke up...wherever you woke up.”

“You need to go to Professor Hestia.” Piper says. “And we should all go back to our common rooms.”

“We’ll go with you.” Zoё adds. “We’ll say that we were heading toward the library because you’d been gone too long and we found you, stumbling in from the green.”

“I don’t want to drag you into it.” Percy says.

“Well, too late.” Annabeth says firmly. She knocks her knee into Percy’s. “We’re your friends. We’re going to drag ourselves into it.”

Percy’s friends begin to stand. They all leave the Slytherin common room one by one, until Percy is left with Connor, Zoё, and Nico, and also Annabeth, who is still sitting beside Percy on the common room steps.

“You should get back, too, Wise Girl.” Percy says quietly. He tries not to notice how his friends turn away, almost like giving them privacy.

“I know.” Annabeth replies. But she doesn’t move.

“I’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.” he reaches out to put his hand over hers, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Assuming I’m not in Ministry custody.”

She gives him a look. “Not funny, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy cracks a smile. “It’s kind of funny.”

There are a lot of things he wants to do, right in this moment. He wants to tell Annabeth how he feels. He wants to kiss her again. He wants to hold her hand and stay on the stairs and not face the brimming war. He wants to visit his mom. He definitely wants to kiss Annabeth again.

Annabeth gives his hand a squeeze and then stands up. “I’ll get going, then.”

Percy follows suit. He lets go of her hand and watches her leave the Slytherin common room, and then quickly leaves with his Slytherin friends at his heels, heading toward Professor Hestia’s office with dread in his heart.

\---

Percy gets to Professor Hestia’s office and the staircase automatically moves.

“Looks like someone’s expecting us.” Connor says quietly.

“Expecting _me_.” Percy says. He takes a deep breath. “You guys should wait here.”

They do. Percy steps onto the spiral staircase and climbs, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage with every step.

He reaches Professor Hestia’s office and steps through the already-open door. The headmistress is sitting at her desk, her warm brown eyes watching Percy as he silently comes to the chair in front of her desk and sits down.

“How did you know?” Percy asks.

Hestia says, “I had a feeling.”

\---

The Minister for Magic arrives an hour later.

The minister is Jason and Thalia’s father. Percy knows this; he’s been at the minister’s _house_ , for Merlin’s sake, but it doesn’t actually hit him until the minister shows up. It wasn’t like the Minister for Magic had been at the house when Percy had been, anyway. He has blue eyes and dark hair, paired with a thick beard and pinstripe robes. He speaks to Professor Hestia in tones too quiet for Percy to hear and then turns to Percy. Percy tells the exact same story to the Minister for Magic.

Then the minister draws his wand.

It’s called a Pensieve, Percy learns. He has to think of the memory as hard as he can and Professor Hestia will extract a silvery liquid from his temple. And he watches as the headmistress and the minister stick their faces into the Pensieve and watch the memory of Luke Castellan.

Then, just as they’d entered the Pensieve, Professor Hestia and Minister Grace withdraw from it. They exchange a glance and then Professor Hestia says, “You can return to your dormitory, Mr. Jackson.”

Percy blinks. “Really?” he says. “That’s it?”

He doesn’t mean to say it out loud. At the minister’s steely gaze, he stammers, “I—I mean—I just didn’t know if there was anything else I could do to help. If there is, I want to try and—”

“And we appreciate that.” Professor Hestia promises. “But I’m sure you’d prefer to return to normalcy as much as possible.”

“All due respect, Professor,” says Percy, trying not to curl his hands into fists, “but I think my life lost normalcy the day Bianca di Angelo died.”

Something shifts in the minister’s expression. “Thank you for coming forward with this.” he says. He turns to the headmistress. “How quickly can we send word to Maria?”

Hestia turns and murmurs something to one of the portraits on the wall. The person in the painting, one of Hogwarts’ previous headmasters, nods and disappears from the frame. Then Hestia says, “She should be notified shortly.” To Percy: “Thank you, Mr. Jackson.”

It’s a final dismissal. Percy nods. He says, “Thank you, Professor. Minister.”

The door closes the moment Percy exits the office. Connor, Nico, and Zoё are waiting outside, sitting on the floor, and they all stand when they see him.

Percy steps off of the staircase and immediately expects it to roll away. But it doesn’t.

Nico frowns. “Maybe she wants you to go back up?”

But Percy knows exactly why it hasn’t moved. He puts his hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Nico,” he says, “is your mum’s name Maria?”

The way Nico visibly pales gives Percy the answer he needs. Percy gives Nico’s shoulder a squeeze and then the second year all-but scrambles up the steps.

“Gods.” Connor says shakily. “Is she coming here?”

Zoё tucks her hair behind her ears and looks up at her friends. “It’s going to be a long night for all of us.”

And it is. An hour later, when Percy is lying in his bed, he can almost imagine the heartbroken wails of Maria di Angelo, and feels like it’s the official start of a war.

\---

Percy hears nothing from the Ministry or from Professor Hestia. The _Daily Prophet_ posts no news. For a couple weeks, it isn’t hard to pretend that there isn’t a war brewing.

Then he studies with Annabeth in the library.

“When we were on the train,” says Annabeth, twirling her quill between her fingers, “and I told you about powerful bloodlines, I wanted you to become aware of the power you have. And the paths you could take.”

“You said I wouldn’t become a Dark Wizard.” Percy sets his textbook down. “Are you—” _changing your mind?_

“You won’t.” Annabeth looks over at him. Under the table, she gently prods his foot with her own. “But Luke did.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You easily could have the same amount of power that Luke does. If not more.” Her eyes gloss over slightly, the way they do when she’s focused intently on something. “Percy—I think we should try to explore what you can do. Try to figure out your limits. Luke kidnapped you for a reason. He tried to get you on his side. I think he might be afraid of you. Of what you can do, with time.”

“He said he was unbeatable.” Percy recalls.

Annabeth gives him a look. “Do you really think he’d risk everything just to try and get you to join him if he truly was unbeatable?”

She has a point. Percy looks down at his half-finished Potions essay and then pushes it aside. “Okay,” he decides. “What do you have in mind?”

\---

Connor leads Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of their friends to an empty corridor on the seventh floor of the castle and paces back and forth in front of a blank wall that suddenly is no longer a blank wall. He pushes open the black wire doors and announces, “Happy Christmas.”

It’s called the Room of Requirement. All one has to do is walk past the space where the door is located three times and think of what one needs. It adjusts itself magically to the number of people needing it at a time, and can transform itself into endless possibilities.

“Bloody hell.” Percy says in awe. Connor grins.

“Okay.” Annabeth cuts in. Her wand is positioned at the chalkboard in the corner of the room, making sweeping motions in the air as words appear on the board. “So we already know what you can do with a simple _Aguamenti_ spell—”

“Are you seriously writing it down?” Percy complains.

“I like to be organized, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth shoots back. “So we can keep track.”

“I don’t like this.” he says. When Annabeth opens her mouth to protest, he quickly backtracks. “I don’t think we should be testing just _my_ abilities.”

“Not all of us are from powerful bloodlines, Percy,” says Thalia.

Percy glances at her. “But you could be,” he says. Her eyes, the same as her father’s, widen. “Your dad’s the Minister for Magic. And Nico, I don’t know your dad, but my dad knows him, which probably means something, right? And Annabeth, you said your mum is looking for Lu—Kronos.”

“What are you saying?” Annabeth inquires.

“I’m _saying,_ ” says Percy, “that maybe you don’t need blood to be powerful. We all have roles to play. We’re practically family, aren’t we? Why don’t we see what _we_ can do. And when the time is right, we’ll all take down Kronos. Together."

\---

_Mum,_

_Before I say anything else I just want you to know how happy I am for you and Paul. I love you, and if marrying him is what makes you happy, then I’m all for it. Paul is a great guy. I’m equally thankful you’ve decided on a summer wedding, so I can be there to witness it._

_I won’t be coming home for Christmas this year. I want to, more than anything, but things are getting too dangerous and it’s just not safe. I’ve already written Dad to see if he can get someone to keep an eye on you and the house. I’ll explain everything when I see you in June. I don’t mean to worry you._

_Attached is your Christmas gift and also Paul’s. Don’t open until Christmas, of course._

_Love you._

_Percy_

\---

“I want to try casting a Patronus Charm.” Annabeth says, sitting down at the Slytherin table during lunch.

The castle is nearly empty; rarely are there more than a few dozen students who stay home for the holidays. This year, Percy is one of them. So is Annabeth. The rest of their friends have gone home, leaving behind a few presents for the two of them as well as a few jokes about behaving themselves. Connor got a kick in the knee for a particular joke that made Percy blush.

Percy looks up at her. “A Patronus Charm?”

“ _Yes_ ,” says Annabeth, rather impatiently, pushing a book at Percy. “I was reading about them while trying to study. Obviously, we don’t have a use for them, since we’ve never encountered a Dementor before and we probably won’t, but...Patronus Charms are tricky to produce. But I want to know what mine is.”

Percy pushes the book back at her. “Okay. Let me finish eating. Then we can go to the Room of Requirement and give it a go.”

Annabeth blinks. “For some reason, I thought I’d have to fight you more on that.”

“You said they’re tricky to produce.” Percy points out. “Maybe this is a way we can work on expanding powers.”

They’d only been to the Room of Requirement a handful of times since Connor had introduced it. Mostly, it was to practice dueling one another, or trying normal spells and seeing how (and if) Percy could tweak it in some sort of way. So far, _Aguamenti_ had been the only positive result. But there are dozens of spells Percy hasn’t learned yet, and even if he can’t explore his powers the way he’d like to, at least his friends are getting better at dueling.

He lets Annabeth drag him by the sleeve to the seventh floor once he’s finished eating. She has a bag slung around her shoulder, despite it being the holidays, but it really doesn’t surprise Percy. Annabeth’s studying has turned into half-studying for classes and upcoming O.W.L.s and half-researching spells to perform and use for practice. She constantly has her hair in a ponytail and faint bags under her eyes, but if Percy really thinks about it, she doesn’t look any less beautiful.

Merlin, he’s losing it.

The Room of Requirement looks the same as it always has, but with a few festive additions thanks to Percy’s thinking. The room is decorated with holiday supplies, like ones at Jason’s house, when he would invite all of them over for a celebration of their own. Near the fireplace in the room is a table with blue cookies and two mugs, one with a dark brown liquid and the other with a dark blue liquid.

Annabeth takes one look at the table and sighs. “You and your blue obsession,” she mutters.

Percy grins. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

They take a moment to sip hot chocolate and munch on blue sugar cookies. Then, Annabeth sets her half-full mug down, drawing her wand as she wipes her upper lip.

“Okay,” says Percy, doing the same. “So how does it work?”

“The incantation is _Expecto Patronum_.” Annabeth tells him. She waves her wand in the air in a swirling motion for demonstration. “The reason that it’s so hard to perform is because you have to think of your happiest memory whilst doing it. It may be easier for us to do it here, but if we were to ever face a Dementor or something else, it’s incredibly hard to think of a happy thought.

“This charm is past N.E.W.T.-level; it’s ridiculously advanced.” Annabeth adds. Percy draws his wand and imitates the way she’d swished her wand. “But I figure if we work at it, you and I could teach the others.”

“All right.” Percy says. “Do you want to go first?”

“I can try.” Annabeth replies. She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and then lifts her wand. Percy watches as she clears her throat and then says, “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

A silvery light emerges from the tip of her wand. It’s only a blob, though, not a shape, and it only stays for a few seconds before sputtering out.

Annabeth lowers her wand and sighs. “Damn.”

“Hey, you said it’s ridiculously advanced, right?” Percy points out, nudging her shoulder. “That was only your first try.”

Annabeth glares at him slightly. “ _You’re_ going to get it on your first try.” she says accusatorily. “Why can’t I?”

“You don’t know that I will.”

“But you _will_.”

Percy throws his head back and groans.

“Just try it, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth grumbles, picking up her mug of hot chocolate.

But what _is_ his happiest memory? Percy thinks of his mum, of sitting at their kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate and eating blue cookies, of the first Christmas they had together without Gabe, of her smile, her hugs, the way she laughs, her handwriting in the letters she sends—

Then the memory dies. Percy envisions his mum reading the last letter he’d sent to her, telling her he wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas. His heart hurts.

Very softly, Annabeth says, “Seaweed Brain?” Her eyes are full of concern. The mug of hot chocolate has been set aside, forgotten, as Annabeth reaches out to touch Percy’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Percy meets her gaze. “Am I that easy to read?”

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Probably not to most people, but I know you.” Annabeth studies his face for a moment. “Were you thinking of your mum?”

“She never responded to my letter.” Percy says quietly. He’s told this to Annabeth before, but this time it feels different. “When I said I wasn’t coming home.”

“I’m sure she understood, Percy.”

“That doesn’t mean she wasn’t hurt by it.”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Annabeth says. “It’s holiday break. You’re here. Your mum and Paul are both safe. Maybe your mum just forgot to write back. Maybe you should write her again.”

“Maybe.” Percy murmurs. Annabeth squeezes his arm lightly. “I just don’t want to worry her. She doesn’t need that kind of trouble in her life.”

“Sometimes family’s worth the trouble.” Annabeth muses. She smiles slightly. “Believe me.”

Percy returns the smile lightly. Annabeth lets go of his arm and clears her throat, picking up her mug once again. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got, Seaweed Brain.”

This time, it’s not his mum that he thinks of. It’s Annabeth. He thinks about first year, when she accidentally pushed him into the lake. _Seaweed Brain_. He thinks about second year, when she kissed him on the cheek after his Quidditch team won the first match Percy had ever played in. _Percy, you won!_ He thinks about third year, playing against Annabeth in the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match, jokingly hitting a Bludger her way. _If I hit on you, it won’t be with a Bludger._ Fourth year, when she’d kissed him in the Slytherin locker room seconds before the last match of the year. _Kick Hufflepuff’s ass._ This year, when she said she’d stick with him no matter what after they argued on the train, or the times they’d held hands or brushed fingers, or when Annabeth had thrown her arms around him after he’d disappeared underneath the Whomping Willow and how desperately Percy had wanted to kiss her. _We’re your friends. We’re going to drag ourselves into it._

Percy raises his wand arm, feeling warm inside. Annabeth’s smile flashes through his mind. Her laugh. Her grey eyes, whether they’re sparkling with amusement or stormy with anger. Her hair, flying behind her as she whizzes away with the Quaffle tucked underneath her arm. Glaring up at him in her Ravenclaw Quidditch robes, calling Rachel his girlfriend, her chin in the palm of his hand.

Percy’s in love with Annabeth.

He says, “ _Expecto Patronum!”_

The same silvery light shoots from his wand. At first it’s only a blob, but then the blob starts to pounce around, and paws form, followed by a body, a head, and a long, bushy tail. Percy’s Patronus—a fox—pounces across the entire room while Percy’s wand arm remains raised, tilting its silvery head and waving its tail and even curling itself around Annabeth’s shoulders before disappearing in wisps of silver light.

“See?” Annabeth says, but she sounds breathless, eyes locked on the spot where the fox had disappeared. “Told you. First try. What did you think of?”

He almost says it. But instead, he says, “My mum, again. Simpler times.”

She almost looks...disappointed? Percy brushes off the fact. There are too many thoughts in his head right now, too many that frighten him just a little bit. One of them being that Annabeth Chase is one of his best friends and he’s _in love_ with her. “Right,” she says. “My turn, again, I guess.”

“You can do this.” Percy assures her. He steps back as she steps forward, practicing the wand motion with her arm a few times. “I have faith in you, Wise Girl.”

He says it jokingly, but means it wholeheartedly, and has a feeling Annabeth knows that. She smiles at him over her shoulder and then says the incantation, swirling her wand in a spiral motion.

“ _Expecto Patronum!”_

Just like before, a blob emerges. But then it takes shape, large wings spreading out as the body of a barn owl forms, bigger than any barn owl Percy has ever seen in his life. It flaps its wings and Percy’s hair actually blows away from his face, and in the midst of it all, Annabeth laughs. She outstretches her arm, and the Patronus barn owl comes to perch itself there, just for a moment, before it disappears like Percy’s fox.

It’s a good day. They eat more cookies and try the spell again, and once, when they both happen to do it at the same time, Percy and Annabeth watch the fox and the owl interact midair, dancing around each other, two entirely different creatures that seem to flow together perfectly.

\---

All seems right with the world when Percy receives a letter from his mum, two days after the new year. He sprints to show Annabeth without even opening the letter or the package attached to it, and only opens it once she’s leaning across the library table, focused on him rather than her schoolwork.

“ _Percy_ ,” Percy reads aloud, holding the letter between trembling hands, “ _I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you until today. You told me not to worry and I’m sure that’s all I made you do. But I promise I have an explanation! See, the gift I wanted to give you wasn’t available, and I suppose I could have sent a letter without the gift, but my brain has been all over the place lately. I’m a terrible mother._

“ _I don’t blame you for not coming home. I miss you terribly, of course, but the most important thing is your safety, and if that means you have to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make._

“ _I hope you enjoy your gift. Paul helped me pick it out. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. You’ll have to decide. I love and miss you. I’m so proud of the person you’ve become. Love, Mum. P.S.: Send Annabeth my love_.”

Annabeth smiles wider at that. Percy’s voice is thick with emotion by the end of the letter, and when he sets it down, he feels his hands steady themselves just a bit.

“See?” Annabeth says. “I told you not to worry.”

“You were right.” Percy agrees.

She smiles. “I tend to be.”

Inside the package is a blue sweater with the words _Seas The Day_ emblazoned on the front. Percy and Annabeth take one look at it and then burst out laughing, so loudly that they both get kicked from the library.

“ _Merlin_ , your mum is amazing.” Annabeth says between wheezes, as they’re stumbling out of the library. They’ve met a few times, mostly on the platform, but each time they’ve been able to have a conversation. “She said Paul helped pick it out, didn’t she?”

“I think that’s a good thing.” Percy decides. He throws the sweater over the tee he’s currently wearing and smiles. “If he appreciates puns, he can stay in my family.”

Annabeth laughs. “I take it they’ve chosen a date, then?”

“August first.”

“Late summer?”

“I begged them to do it in July or August.” Percy admits. “So I could be there.”

Annabeth gives him a look. “I hardly think you had to beg,” she muses. “Whether you asked or not, your mum was going to set a summer date. You really think she’d get married without you there?”

The answer is _no,_ of course not, but Percy doesn’t say it. He shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “Had to make sure, didn’t I? Anyway, she’s letting me invite all of my friends. I’ll tell the rest of them when they all get back from vacation, but…” he reaches up to run his hand through his hair. “I was kind of hoping you’d go?”

“I don’t know,” says Annabeth teasingly, “I’ll have to check my schedule.”

Percy lets out a breathy laugh. “I mean,” he clarifies, “go with me. As my date.”

Annabeth stops walking.

“Or—or not.” Percy says hastily. “Or just as friends. I dunno. It’s not a big deal. We’ll all be there together, anyway, so when you really think about it I guess there’s no need for—”

“I’d love to.” Annabeth interrupts. Percy stops mid-sentence, mouth still open. She smiles. “Seriously. Even if you’re asking me over half a year in advance. I’d love to.”

“I’m just being the prepared person I always am.” Percy says. He feels like his cheeks are on fire.

Annabeth snorts. “ _Please_ , Seaweed Brain. You’re the physical embodiment of procrastination.”

“I am not!”

“Are too.”

Percy rolls his eyes. “You’re impossible."

“Wow. Love you too.”

He laughs. The tight feeling in his stomach dissipates a bit. He wonders if trying for something with Annabeth is worth it—if it’ll still be worth it should things ever end badly. He knows that he loves her, as a friend and as more, and he knows that she’s his best friend. He wants her in his life for the rest of his life. If they were to date, and it were to end badly…

Percy shakes his head. Thankfully, Annabeth doesn’t see. It’s not the right time, he thinks; not the right time for them to start something with everything happening around them. Maybe summer will be different.

For now, he’ll stick with her as a best friend, and he’ll take as many moments with her as he can get.

\---

Their friends return on the fifth of January and it’s no longer just Percy and Annabeth.

Percy kind of misses it, if he’s being honest. But he also missed his friends a lot while they’d been gone. He accepts the hug that Grover throws at him, and then the bear hug from Jason, and then the group ambush from Connor, Zoё, and a very reluctant Nico. The evening they return is spent in the Room of Requirement, where Connor and Travis arrive ten minutes after everyone else with baskets of food from the kitchens.

(“S’easy,” says Travis with a shrug. “You tickle the pear and it turns into a doorknob.”)

“Guys.” Annabeth says, once the fifteen witches and wizards are well-fed and just enjoying each other’s company. “Percy and I have something we want to show you.”

They perform the Patronus Charm for everyone, then, and make promises to show their friends how it works as the fox and the owl move above them.

Throughout the night, Percy notices a lot of things. First, he notices Jason and Piper holding hands while talking with Leo, which is something that Annabeth apparently is already aware of but Percy is not. He’s unsure of when that happened. He notices Thalia and Zoё deep in a conversation when they’re drinking hot chocolate and can’t actually remember if he’d ever seen them talk before. He sees Hazel, Grover, and Frank in a discussion, and notices that more than once, Frank glances at Hazel like she’s the sun and Hazel glances at him like he’s the stars. Even Nico seems to be lost in his own world, sitting with Will Solace, using his hands avidly as he speaks; sometimes, Percy forgets that that kid is only twelve years old and has been through so much already. He watches Nico smile and finds himself smiling too.

He sits next to Annabeth and watches his friends. He’d called them family in this exact room, back in November, and he still knows they’re his family today. He knows he’d die protecting them. Percy thinks he’d probably choose them over the world, if he was given the choice.

_I can sense great loyalty in you, Percy Jackson. Loyalty to your friends. Perhaps one day that may be your undoing._

_You’ll find your true friends. A natural instinct to protect yourself and others from harm...but that could easily lie within loyalty…_

So maybe the Sorting Hat really did know. Maybe it really did choose correctly.

Percy says, “What?”

He says it because Annabeth is staring at him. Smiling at him, even, even as she sips at her hot chocolate while her grey eyes flicker from Percy’s face to their friends and then back to Percy’s face. Her smile isn’t peaceful, though; he knows that smile, and this one isn’t it. It’s more of a knowing one, like she knows something that Percy doesn’t.

“I read something else about Patronus Charms.” Annabeth says, quiet enough so only Percy can hear. “Not until after we’d done them, though.”

“And I suppose you’re going to tell me, right?” Percy raises his eyebrows.

Annabeth’s smile widens. “I was reading about one of the most famous Patronuses of all time. It was actually a lowly mouse and it belonged to a wizard named Illyius. He cast the charm when his village was being attacked by a Dark Wizard—Raczidian—and his army of Dementors. The mouse was small, of course, but it shone with brilliant light, bringing the Dementors to a halt as it moved through the ranks of fleeing villagers.

“Enraged, Raczidian decided to enter the fray himself by summoning a Patronus to ward off Illyius’s mouse. So he tried the spell, but when he did, maggots shot out of his wand and quickly devoured him as they engulfed his entire body. The villagers hailed Illyius as a hero.”

“What happened to Rac—uh, to the Dark Wizard?” Because Percy was definitely not about to try and pronounce that name.

Annabeth meets his eyes and her smile gets even bigger. “The problem with Raczidian was that he failed to remember that only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus. This was the first time in history that this happened. Raczidian’s mistake revealed what happens when a competent but unworthy wizard or witch attempts the spell.”

Percy stares at her for a moment, unable to find the words that he wants to say. But finally, after gaping for a bit, he says, “Did you memorize that word-for-word from the book?”

Annabeth swats his arm. “I _wanted_ to make sure I got everything,” she complains. “Did I sound like a know-it-all?”

“A bit.” he teases. His expression sobers. “Why?”

“Don’t you see, Percy?” Annabeth asks. She moves her hand to cover his. “Only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus. You produced one. I know you’ve been worried about your powers and about becoming like Luke—but this? _This story_ is proof that you aren’t becoming like him.”

Percy’s heart leaps in his chest. Annabeth smiles, and then she removes her hand from his, and just like that, she moves to go talk to Rachel and Travis Stoll like she didn’t just say one of the most important things in the world.

\---

Word spreads around Hogwarts like wildfire without it even being published in the _Daily Prophet._

Professor Dionysus, who is more commonly called Professor D, has twin sons with a Muggle. Their names are Castor and Pollux. If Percy recalls correctly, he thinks that they’re three years older than he is, having graduated when Percy was a fourth year. He can remember them only barely, but he knows they both had blond hair and violet eyes, and neither of them were in Slytherin, unlike their father.

In February, Professor Dionysus is replaced by a frail, angry old man named Terminus for two weeks.

In February, Castor is killed and branded with an hourglass.

\---

By the end of February, Percy tries to make all of his friends produce a Patronus Charm, even if it’s just a wisp of light. Connor and Travis end up casting their Patronuses for the first time together, and see that their Patronuses are two snakes that intertwine themselves in the air. Jokingly, Connor names his snake George, and Travis names his Martha. Rachel tries her hardest but barely produces anything. The rest of Percy’s friends get blobs of light, like Annabeth’s first try—except for Leo, who gets a gleaming dragon, which, according to Annabeth, is one of the rarest forms of a Patronus.

When Professor D returns, Percy visits his office, despite being afraid of being cursed, and tells the Potions master how sorry he is about what happened to his son.

“Thank you,” says his professor. Percy can see Castor and Pollux in him, with the same violet eyes and the same hairstyle, despite Professor D’s hair being black instead of blond. Percy nods and turns to leave, but is stopped when his professor says one more thing. “Good luck, Percy Jackson.”

It’s the first time Percy has ever heard him say his name correctly. He hates to think what that means.

He knows what Castor’s death means, though: it means that it’s not just Muggle-borns. It’s half-bloods. It’s Luke, somehow thinking in his sick mind that this is what is right for the Wizarding World.

It’s Percy, seeing more of the extent of his powers by losing his temper inside the Room of Requirement. It’s Annabeth, kneeling beside Percy and wrapping her arm firmly around his shoulders. It’s Rachel and Grover, silently repairing the torn furniture and the broken mirrors but being unable to fix the dark slash marks in the walls. It’s Connor and Zoё, sitting with Percy in the Slytherin common room into the late hours of the night. It’s Nico, who hates physical affection, guiding Percy to the staircase with a hand firmly on Percy’s elbow.

It’s _anger_ , bubbling up inside of Percy, directed at Luke about Castor, an eighteen-year-old boy that Percy didn’t even know.

The next time Percy goes to the Room of Requirement, he goes alone, and he thinks of needing a place to destroy.

\---

March is new. The snow starts to fade away and the trees start to sprout green leaves. Most of Percy’s anger has ebbed away, but the rest of it still sits in him, like a volcano waiting to erupt. If there are more deaths happening outside the walls of Hogwarts, none of the students hear about them. Luke Castellan doesn’t show any trace of himself anywhere.

It’s _Kronos_ , Percy thinks. Not Luke, not anymore. It’s only Kronos.

Slytherin plays Ravenclaw in the rescheduled match. It had been postponed to mourn for Professor D’s son, rescheduled for the first weekend in March. The Slytherin Quidditch team captain, a seventh year named Ethan Nakamura, seems less enthusiastic about the sport and more antsy all the time. Percy chalks it up to the upcoming N.E.W.T.s and graduation.

The next match, taking place two weeks later, is Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Percy sits in the Ravenclaw section with Annabeth, Rachel, and Will, his leg pressed up against Annabeth’s. They trade scarves halfway through the game, just as a joke, but when the game is over, Percy leaves with a Ravenclaw scarf and Annabeth leaves with a Slytherin one.

When Quidditch practices start up again, Ethan Nakamura doesn’t show. But they have a match in May, their last match of the year, against Hufflepuff, so Percy steps up, as one of the older members of the team.

April is full of rain and full of studying. Percy throws himself into his coursework for quite possibly the first time in his life, enjoying the distraction and enjoying the way the knowledge actually sticks in his brain. Annabeth kisses him on the cheek at least three times over the course of a month because she actually can’t believe he’s studying, finally, after almost five whole years of winging it.

He doesn’t really see Thalia or Travis starting in April, once they’ve started intensely studying for N.E.W.T.s. He figures this is where Ethan Nakamura is, as well, and continues co-captaining with Connor all the way up until the second weekend of May, when Percy plays his last Quidditch match as a fifth year.

Ethan shows up, during breakfast, and while Connor briefly explains their playing tactics, Percy faces Annabeth, who has come to the Slytherin table to wish Percy good luck with Rachel.

Before Percy can lose his courage, and before Annabeth can walk away, he blurts, “Don’t I get a kiss for good luck? It’s kind of tradition, right?”

To his surprise, Annabeth’s eyes are a stormy grey. But then she smiles and the storms in her eyes clear. “Kick Hufflepuff’s ass, Seaweed Brain,” she says, lightly shrugging. “Then we’ll see.”

After she walks away, Rachel pats Percy on the shoulder. “Less of an idiot.” she decides, and follows her housemate back to the Ravenclaw table.

\---

Slytherin loses.

Annabeth says, “Damn,” and doesn’t kiss Percy like he hopes she would. Instead, she goes for a handshake, which makes both of them laugh.

\---

O.W.L.s hit in the first week of June. Percy has Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes in the first week and then Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy, Divination, Arithmancy, and History of Magic in the second. At some point, he moans to Annabeth that he’d rather be a Muggle so he can do Muggle schoolwork instead, and she whacks him with a book.

At another point, when discussing Muggle star signs, Percy says, “I’m a Leo.”

And Leo says, “No, you’re a Percy. _I’m_ a Leo.”

Percy is so done.

\---

He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life. Not really. He’s only fifteen. Sure, when taking the O.W.L.s, most witches and wizards should have at least a faint idea in what they want to do with their lives. That way, they can study accordingly, and pass the classes they will need for their career. Percy _did_ have a meeting with his Head of House, Professor D, about career choices, but it hadn’t made Percy feel better about anything and really just ended with the Potions master insulting him and advising (threatening) him to choose a career path that didn’t involve Potions.

Some of his friends know what they want to do. Annabeth wants to be an architect in the Wizarding World. Rachel wants to explore Divination and the inner-eye more in-depth. Jason wants to be an Auror. Leo wants to work with machines; he isn’t sure how he’ll do it, but he will. Even Will Solace, who is a fourth-year, wants to be a Healer at St. Mungo’s. Hazel says she wants to go that route, too.

O.W.L.s end, Gryffindor wins the House Cup, and Percy leaves Hogwarts in the third week of June. He hugs his mum a little tighter and even embraces Paul when he sees them at King’s Cross. Sally is the only one to cross the barrier; whether Paul tried to or just decided to stay behind, Percy doesn’t know. Either way, he takes his trolley out to Paul’s car and sits with Mrs O’Leary in the backseat, wondering how different his life will be come September.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna put this at the beginning but then realized that i didn't want to spoil it, so - the idea of percy's patronus being a fox goes to ofswordsandpens!! annabeth's being a barn owl is probably a common idea. i thought about changing it, but i feel like an owl is just SO HER anyway. leo's is also self-explanatory. also i love him. also, george and martha? c'mon. i had to put them in SOMEWHERE. :)
> 
> //one last thing!!! thought i should mention - the story about the patronus and about Dark Wizards not being able to cast them is HP-verse canon; if you google 'Patronus Charm' the story is on both Pottermore & the harrypotterwikia page.
> 
> don't forget to validate me & comment if u liked it ;)


	5. interlude; summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy hesitates. “There’s something he isn’t telling me.” he admits. “Something that I think I need to know, but that I haven’t been told. Almost like...a prophecy.”
> 
> “And you think you’re part of it?”
> 
> At first, Percy doesn’t say anything. Does he really think there’s some sort of prophetic destiny that he’s a part of? Does that explain why people keep telling him good luck? And it really is about him, is he willing to accept that and the consequences?
> 
> “I don’t know.” Percy says finally. “But if I am, I know I’ll fight to keep my friends alive until I can’t fight anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahoooooo!! a fun chapter for a number of reasons :) please enjoy!
> 
> /some cute stuff, some plot stuff, some parallels
> 
> //annabeth and percy are literal DORKS let me tell u
> 
> alsoooooo u guys are AMAZING? my notifs were blowing up last night and i was crying
> 
> ///this is probably the only chapter that will be outside of hogwarts, depending on how i execute the Battle lmao stay tuned love u guys

July starts with the move into Paul’s much-larger home further into Muggle land. Paul enjoys living in the city, closer to his job, in a busy area that only quiets at night, if at all. Percy and Sally doesn’t have much, so they don’t take much from their shoddy flat and Percy finds it extremely pleasing to finally leave the dump he’d grown up in.

Not that he hated the house. It just had bad connotations with it.

Percy writes Poseidon, too, to let him know. He doesn’t hear much from his dad these days, but when he does, he takes in the curly script of his father’s writing and tucks the letters in a box, along with all of the other responses he gets from friends.

When they finish moving into Paul’s house, the three of them celebrate with pizza and a movie. Percy considers owling Annabeth, to invite her over, but he decides against it at the very last minute.

The second week of July, Percy travels to Grover’s house to hang out—and to meet his girlfriend, Juniper, from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Percy says, shaking her hand. With a look at his best friend, he adds, “Grover’s talked a lot about you.”

Juniper blushes. “Good,” she says. Grover’s face is bright red.

A small hangout with the three of them turns into a group thing. Along with their friends from Hogwarts comes a girl named Calypso, who is one of Juniper’s roommates at Beauxbatons. She has caramel-colored hair and dark almond eyes and she’s _beautiful_ , Percy thinks, but then Annabeth shows up minutes later and his heart does a relay race in his chest.

Besides. The moment Leo shows up, he and Calypso seem to argue about everything, but by the end of the night, they’re smiling and laughing with one another.

“How’s the new house?” Annabeth asks, handing Percy a soda.

“It’s amazing,” he says. “It’s actually not too far from here, which is nice. Pretty big. Paul wants to put a pool out back. It should be done by next summer, so that’s something to look forward to. You’ll have to visit sometime.”

“I’d like to.” she says with a smile. “Though I’ll see it in a couple weeks, won’t I?”

August first. The day of Percy’s mom’s wedding to Paul. Also the day Annabeth will be his date to said wedding. “Yeah. It’ll be in the yard. They decided to save a little money and just do the ceremony and reception in the same place.”

“Have they started setting up yet?”

“Nope. I think that’s next week. Just with the tent.” Percy muses. “I tried to get Mum to let me ask Thalia and Travis to help with the setup, because it’ll be a lot easier, but she said she wants it to be entirely Muggle.”

“Makes sense.” Annabeth points out. “They’re both Muggles.”

“Yeah, but…” Percy shrugs. “I mean, I’m not. And I’ll be living there when I’m old enough to perform magic outside of school.”

“They’re not shunning you.” she says, frowning at her. “They just don’t understand.”

“My mum does. More than most.” Percy sighs at his soda can. “I almost wish she didn’t. It would just be easier for her.”

“I know.” Annabeth assures him. She leans against the counter and asks, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What color tie are you wearing? I have to buy a dress still and I figured I’d ask so we can match.”

“Um.” Percy says. “I haven’t even thought about that.”

Her eyes twinkle. “Okay. Well, tell you what. Just surprise me.”

Percy grins. “That I can do.”

\---

A few days later, Annabeth turns sixteen. Percy shows up on her doorstep with a package in his hands.

“I can’t stay,” he says quickly, before Annabeth can ask him inside. “I have to help my mom with cleaning the house. The wedding is two weeks away and we’re already starting preparations.”

If Annabeth is disappointed, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she smiles slightly. “That’s not surprising. It’s okay. My dad and stepmum want to take me into town all day, anyway. We’re actually about to leave.”

“Ah.” Percy says. He shoves the package into her hands and then leans forward, kissing her on the cheek. “Well, happy birthday, Wise Girl. Have fun today.”

Annabeth blushes. “Thanks.” she says. Percy shoves his hands in his pockets and smiles before heading down the pathway, back to where Sally sits in the car.

When he gets into the car, Annabeth is gone from the front porch, and his mum is giving him a look paired with a sly smile.

Percy feels his cheeks get warmer. “What? It’s just Annabeth.”

“Of course, honey.” Sally says. She puts the car in drive and leaves the Chase household behind.

\---

Percy gets his O.W.L. results one week before his mother’s wedding. He convinces her to drive him to Grover’s and sees that Annabeth had the same idea, so the three of them open their results at the same time and read them out loud one by one.

Percy gets more passing grades than he expects, including an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Somehow, miraculously, he gets an Exceeding Expectations in Potions, and only gets Poor in Divination, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. He’s more than okay with that.

Grover gets a mix, just like he does, with a few more Acceptables than failing grades. They high-five with their accomplishments, because honestly, Percy did much better than he really expected to.

Annabeth gets all passing grades, which is no surprise. She only gets one Acceptable. She smiles smugly, in a way that Percy usually is annoyed with, but this time, he casts his letter aside and hugs her and says, “Congrats, _Wise_ Girl,” and returns the smile she gives him.

\---

Percy wakes up early on August first and brings his mum breakfast in bed.

Paul is gone, sleeping at his best man’s house, since it’s Muggle tradition not to see the bride on the day of the wedding until the ceremony. So it’s just Percy and his mum in the big house until her friends arrive to start getting ready.

So he brings her toast and jam and eggs and bacon and sets it on a tray with orange juice and brings it into her room, setting it on the table beside her.

“Hey.” Percy says quietly. He shakes his mum’s shoulder. “Mum. Wake up.”

Sally does, and she hugs her son, and even though Paul’s been in their life for quite some time now, this is the day he _really_ becomes part of their family. It’s not just Percy and Sally against the world. Now Paul’s in the mix. It feels more like Percy against the world, protecting his mum and Paul from a world they don’t belong in but have been shoved into thanks to him.

He shakes his head. No bad thoughts. It’s his _mum’s wedding day_.

Sally eats and Percy sits beside her and they laugh, especially at the blue-tinted eggs and blue orange juice and blueberry jam. Percy kisses her cheek and takes the dishes downstairs and lets her friends in when they arrive two hours later.

The next time the doorbell rings, it’s Grover. He’s in regular clothes, but he’s got a Muggle suit in his arms, courtesy of his dad. Sometimes, Percy forgets that his best friend is a Muggle-born. He wishes it didn’t matter. Their lives would be so much easier if it didn’t.

Together, Grover and Percy officially arrange the chairs underneath the tent in the backyard. It looks beautiful. Percy has never been to a wedding before; even when Sally married Gabe, it had been a courthouse ordeal because Gabe hadn’t wanted to spend any money. Percy should have known then that he was going to be the worst person on earth. He still doesn’t know why his mum had married Gabe. He doesn’t know if she’ll ever tell him.

Guests are starting to arrive by the time it hits two in the afternoon. It’s Percy and Grover’s job to greet them at the mouth of the tent and guide them to seats. It’s not an entirely large wedding, but there are enough people between Sally, Paul, and Percy to fill the tent with forty or fifty people, easily.

“Hey.” Grover says, about half an hour in. “I’ll take it from here.”

Percy doesn’t understand, at first. Then he follows where Grover is nodding, and sees Annabeth arriving with Jason and Piper.

Her hair is down, curled in ringlets that fall around her shoulders. Half of it is pulled up, though, away from her face, and Percy can see owl earrings on her ears. She doesn’t see him, at first, which is probably okay, because Percy feels like he’s gawking and he’s a little embarrassed about it.

Then Annabeth sees him and her face lights up.

Jason and Piper drift over to speak to Grover as Annabeth comes up to Percy. “Hi,” she says, smiling up at him. She’d used to be taller than him, for a few years, but he’s taller than she is now, just enough that she has to angle her face up slightly to speak with him. She brings her hand up to shield her eyes away from the sun, grin widening. Then Annabeth’s eyes flit to the tie on his chest. “Nice,” she says, and laughs. “I guess we both had the same idea.”

Percy hadn’t even noticed her dress until now. It falls to her knees and is sea-green, the exact color of Percy’s eyes. He looks down at his grey tie. Same idea, indeed. “We match.” he says.

“We _compliment_ each other.” Annabeth corrects. She lowers her hand to nudge his arm. “I’ll see you in there?”

“Oh, yeah.” Percy pulls back the mouth of the tent. “We’re in the front.”

“Cool.” Annabeth says. She leans forward and kisses his cheek. “I meant to send you an owl after I opened your present.”

“Oh.” Percy shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve both been busy. I wasn’t expect anything.”

“Well, I loved it.” she says. “Although I don’t enjoy puns as much as you do.”

“Come _on_.” he rolls his eyes. “‘Sea you later’? Like, _sea_ as in the ocean, and also _‘c’_ , like the first letter of your last name?”

Annabeth tells him, “You suck.”

“You love it.” Percy replies.

Annabeth doesn’t agree, but the tint of her cheeks seems a little too red to be makeup. “By the way, you look good.”

Percy hopes he isn’t blushing. “You don’t look half-bad yourself,” he says, and Annabeth laughs, disappearing into the tent.

Once all of the guests are accounted for, Grover joins Jupiter in the seats. Percy shares a handshake with Paul when the groom goes through the tent, followed by his best man and the other members of his party. Sally’s few bridesmaids and maid of honor go in next, and then Percy stays outside the tent for five full minutes before his mother joins him.

She’s beautiful. She always has been. Her blue eyes look a little more green today, in the sunlight of midday. Her hair is swept back underneath her veil. Percy can see the streaks of grey disappearing underneath the headpiece, but to Percy, she’s never looked so young or happy in her entire life.

“Ready?” Percy asks, holding his arm out to her.

Sally takes it. “Are _you?”_

He takes that as a yes. Then, squeezing her hand with his free one, he lets go to lift the mouth of the tent and walk her inside.

The bridal march plays from the piano in the corner. The guests stand up, people that Percy doesn’t recognize or barely remembers or his best friends from Hogwarts. All of them are smiling, some at Percy, some at Sally, some at both—it’s enough to make Percy’s eyes well with tears, but he brushes them away quickly before they fall. He hopes his mum doesn’t notice.

He lets her go at the end of the aisle, pressing a kiss to her cheek for the second time today. He hands her to Paul, to his soon-to-be stepdad, who will be a thousand times better than Gabe could even hope to be. The two men share a smile, and then Percy steps back, sinking into his seat in the front aisle.

Annabeth slips her hand into his and squeezes. While the priest begins speaking, he laces their fingers together.

The ceremony lasts half an hour. Sally and Paul write their own vows, and Percy is in both of them, which is enough to make him emotional all over again without even hearing the words they both speak. Annabeth squeezes his hand periodically, as a sign of comfort, and she’s smiling as softly as he is when Paul takes Sally in his arms and kisses her swiftly.

They push the chairs away and get rid of the sides of the tent, expanding the area over more of the backyard. Thalia sets up tables with her wand when no one is looking and looks pretty proud of herself when they end up looking perfect. Sally shoots a smile at Thalia from the arms of her new husband.

The music changes from ceremony formal to normal music one would hear at a wedding reception almost instantly. Most of the Muggles stay up to dance, while Percy and his friends retreat to a corner to watch, laughing at strange dance moves or smiling as Sally and Paul push cake at each other’s faces.

The Muggles leave by six in the evening. A new guest arrives at the same time.

“Dad,” says Percy, staring at the broad-shouldered wizard as he stands just underneath the canvas of the tent. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

He’d thought about inviting him. He just didn’t know how weird it would be.

“I didn’t know I was coming, either,” says Poseidon. He looks around the tent; at the teenage witches and wizards and Sally and Paul, sitting together at a table. “But I decided to stop by at the last moment. Offer my congratulations.” he lowers his voice. “Keep you updated.”

“Oh.” Percy says. He loosens the tie around his neck. “‘Course.”

Poseidon claps his shoulder and then ventures over to Sally and Paul. Annabeth’s eyes follow Percy’s father, and then she stands, joining Percy where Poseidon had just been. “What’s up?” she asks.

“He’s got something to tell me.” Percy says. “I don’t know what it is. But it’s about Kronos.”

Annabeth’s eyes turn stormy within a matter of seconds. She touches the small of Percy’s back, a small motion that shouldn’t send a wave of electricity through Percy but does anyway. “Okay,” she says.

“I’ll tell you.” Percy promises, because he knows she wants to ask. “Afterwards, I will.”

The blonde smiles. She returns to her table just as Poseidon approaches.

Poseidon looks a bit off. Glancing at his mum and step-dad, Percy sees that Sally somewhat has the same expression. Paul, on the other hand, just looks plain confused. “Percy,” says Poseidon, before Percy can even wonder what happened, “let’s take a walk.”

\---

They end up only a few feet from the tent, near the corner of the house. Percy can’t see his friends; in fact, he can’t see much, but Poseidon is holding his wand with a _Lumos_ spell between them.

“His gathering is growing bigger every day.” Poseidon says in a quiet tone. “I think you should know—one of his newest additions is Ethan Nakamura.”

_Another_ Quidditch captain? “That explains a bit,” says Percy, shaking his head. “He was disappearing a lot near the end of the year. And Luke—Kronos had said he had friends in the castle.”

Poseidon’s brow furrows. “He said that? To you? When?”

With a jolt, Percy realizes his dad doesn’t _know._ He can’t believe he’d never told him. Part of him had assumed that Professor Hestia would do it for him, or maybe even the Minister for Magic. Percy had kept it from his mum, of course, but he’d forgotten to tell his father. Quickly, in the best summary he can, he tells his father about the incident underneath the Whomping Willow.

Every word causes Poseidon’s sea-green eyes to darken. “I see,” he says in a tight tone. “And this all slipped your mind?”

“Mum doesn’t know,” Percy says, trying to reassure his dad. “I didn’t want to worry her. It happened so quickly, and then I went to Professor Hestia’s, and the Minister for Magic showed up, and—”

Poseidon shakes his head. “It’s fine. It slipped your mind. The important thing is that you’re safe.”

Percy shoves his hands in his pockets. “There’s one more thing,” he says. “I have...stronger magic because of your bloodline. And Annabeth said all Dark Wizards come from powerful bloodlines. Does that mean that I…?”

His father shakes his head. “Not all powerful wizards become Dark, Percy. Annabeth was mostly right; but there are some wizards who come from a normal magical background and ascend to Darkness. While most Dark Wizards have heightened powers, there have been...a couple who have not been. One of them was a very old wizard, who lived and died long before any of us were born. The other...well, the other is Luke. This could be very useful, or very dangerous.” Poseidon reaches forward and puts his hands on Percy’s shoulders. “Take care, and good luck.”

“Everyone keeps saying ‘good luck’ to me,” blurts Percy, before his father can pull away. “You, my Potions teacher, Professor Hestia...it feels like everyone is counting on me. Like there’s something everyone isn’t _telling_ me.”

There’s a faraway look in Poseidon’s eyes. “I should go,” he says. Percy’s shoulders deflate. “We’ll talk again soon. Will you come home for the holidays this time?”

“I think it depends.” Percy says honestly. “My mum and Paul...they have a good life here. A safe one. They don’t need me in it, making it more dangerous.”

“You shouldn’t think of yourself as a burden.” Poseidon says. He lets go of his son. “Because you aren’t. And if you come home for the holidays, I think you can defend yourself quite well.” He winks. “I have friends in high places. If you need to use underage magic, I’m sure leniency can be arranged.”

Strangely, Poseidon gives his son a hug. Then he says, “ _Nox_ ,” to his wand, extinguishing the light, and Apparates away in the darkness.

Percy makes his way back to his friends and sits beside Annabeth. Under the table, he takes her hand, joining the conversation as easily as possible without trying to signify that anything is different.

\---

Within the hour, most of Percy’s friends leave, mostly in groups. Even Calypso, Leo’s date, and Juniper leave together. Before Thalia and Travis had left, they’d both been kind enough to pack everything up with magic. Sally and Paul had gone inside twenty minutes ago. In the end, it’s only Grover, Annabeth and Percy, sitting at the only table remaining outside.

“If your dad is right, and if Luke really _isn’t_ as powerful…” Annabeth purses her lips. She looks at Grover, and then at Percy. “That _is_ useful.”

“It’s also dangerous.” Grover points out. “We can’t underestimate him just because he isn’t an extremely powerful wizard. He’s still killing a lot of people.”

“We’re going to stop him.” Percy says confidently. “I don’t know when the battle will be, but when it comes, we’ll be there. All of us.”

“Fifteen witches and wizards against a Dark Wizard and his entire army?” Annabeth questions.

Grover winces. “I don’t like those odds.”

“Those won’t be our odds.” Percy says. He looks at Annabeth and squeezes her hand. Grover is the only person they’ve held hands in front of before—because it’s _Grover,_ their first friend. The three of them have been together since the beginning. They all have a lot of friends, sure, but Percy looks at the three of them—a half-blood Slytherin, a pureblood Ravenclaw, a Muggle-born Hufflepuff—and thinks there’s no stronger friendship in the world. “It won’t just be us. _We_ have an army, too. We just don’t realize it. We have our parents, our fellow students, our professors—this is a battle we _can_ win, and we will.”

Annabeth is watching him carefully. She says, “Your dad told you good luck. Like you’re going to be at the actual fight, when it comes. Like it’s _up to you_.”

Percy hesitates. “There’s something he isn’t telling me.” he admits. “Something that I think I need to know, but that I haven’t been told. Almost like...a prophecy.”

“And you think you’re part of it?”

At first, Percy doesn’t say anything. Does he really think there’s some sort of prophetic destiny that he’s a part of? Does that explain why people keep telling him good luck? And it really is about him, is he willing to accept that and the consequences?

“I don’t know.” Percy says finally. “But if I am, I know I’ll fight to keep my friends alive until I can’t fight anymore.”

\---

The next morning, Sally and Paul leave for their honeymoon. Sally had been more than hesitant at first to leave Percy, especially for two weeks, but it was at Percy’s insistence that she finally agreed. They’d be back just in time for his sixteenth birthday, and in the meantime, Percy would be staying with Grover.

“Stay safe.” Percy tells them, hugging them both. “Have fun. Bring me souvenirs so I can brag to my friends.”

Sally kisses her son on the head. “We’ll call the house phone if needed. Just make sure to check the voicemail.”

“I will.” he promises. “And the mail. I’ll stop by every few days.”

“Are you going to get your Hogwarts shopping done while we’re gone?”

Percy nods. “If Grover and his parents go, I’ll go too,” he says. “That way you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Then again,” says Paul, putting one of the suitcases into the cab, “if you don’t get around to it, and we have to take you...that wouldn’t be so bad.”

Paul hasn’t seen Diagon Alley, Percy realizes. He’s only seen the outside of the platform at King’s Cross, which really isn’t anything magical at all. Percy smiles. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he says.

Grover’s parents pull up in their car just as Sally and Paul are leaving the house. The cab turns the corner as Percy gets into the backseat, smiling at Grover before thanking his best friend’s parents for the ride and the place to stay until the honeymoon is over.

\---

The first week Percy spends at Grover’s is the easiest in his life. He gets to spend time with his best friend; Annabeth visits a couple times and Percy gets to know Juniper more.

The second week, however, ends up being stressful and rewarding all at once, when his letters from Hogwarts arrive.

“Oddly late this year.” Grover says, frowning as the screech owl flies away from his window. “Oh—look, I’ve got yours as well! Professor Hestia must know you’re here. That’s strange.”

“We go to a magical boarding school.” Percy deadpans, taking his letter from Grover. “Everything is strange.”

Grover laughs. “True.”

The front door to Grover’s home flings open. Annabeth stands there, holding a letter in her hand. “Oh, thank _Merlin!”_ she says, taking in the two boys with unopened letters. “I haven’t opened mine either. I came here straightaway.”

Percy grins at her. She sits with them in Grover’s living room and all three of them tear open their letters at the same time.

And, at exactly the same time, both Grover and Annabeth cry, “I’m a prefect!”

Badges fall from their letters. Annabeth looks thrilled, while Grover looks a little nervous. It’s kind of an entertaining sight to see, really. Percy says, “Wise Girl—that’s amazing! Grover...you look like you’re going to vomit.”

“I think I am.” Grover says miserably.

“Why?” Annabeth nudges Grover with her arm. “Grover, you’re going to be a great prefect!”

“I don’t get it.” Grover adds. “Aren’t you supposed to be chosen as a prefect fifth year?”

“You can reject the position.” Annabeth explains. “I guess two sixth years did at the end of fifth year. And now it’s us.”

“I’m not good with leadership positions.” Grover complains. “I mean— _you_ are, of course, Annabeth. But me? I can’t even follow simple directions!”

“Oh, shut _up_.” Annabeth mutters, rolling her eyes. “You’re going to be great! You were chosen as prefect for a reason. Right, Percy?” Annabeth blinks. “Percy?” she asks again, when he doesn’t immediately answer. Percy _would_ , except he’s too busy holding the envelope in his hands and staring at the contents on the inside like they’ve got to be some sort of joke. “Hey. Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth leans forward and puts her hand on his knee. “What is it?”

That shakes Percy out of his daze. With trembling fingers, he reaches into the envelope and pulls out a silver badge, similar to Annabeth and Grover’s.

Except there’s one difference. Instead of a large ‘P’ engraved on the front, this one has the Slytherin emblem and two words engraved underneath it: QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN.

“Percy!” Annabeth says, snatching the badge from his hands. “Merlin’s _beard!_ Quidditch captain? Quidditch captain!” She passes the badge back to him, beaming.

Grover groans. “Hufflepuff is _so_ screwed this year.”

“And next year.” Annabeth adds. “Not to be biased, but I’m still convinced that Ravenclaw’s got a fighting chance.”

“Is that so, Chase?” Percy raises an eyebrow. He tucks the badge back into the envelope, holding it tight like he’s afraid it’s going to disappear.

“It is, Jackson.” Annabeth says, grinning at him. “I think you’ll find your opinion changing when we kick your ass.”

“Don’t you mean when _we_ kick _your_ ass?”

Grover groans a second time, setting his envelope aside. “Can’t you two flirt on your own time?” he complains.

If this were a month ago, Percy probably would have blushed. But this time, he shrugs, says, “I see no problem with doing it right here.”

“I can kick you out of my house, you know.” Grover threatens.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes. “Boys,” she mutters, like it’s a bad thing, but she smiles affectionately at the both of them, and that kind of makes up for it.

\---

Percy’s parents return from their honeymoon the day before he turns sixteen. He helps them unload the taxi and hugs them both and shows them the Quidditch captain badge that’s been on his person practically every day. They order pizza and drink soda, a common staple for the three of them, and settle down to watch a movie in the living room, acting like an entirely normal Muggle family for a short while.

He enjoys it, really. Paul isn’t Percy’s biological dad, but he’s already becoming his parent in his eyes. Percy’s also not stupid; he knows that his mum is still at a young-ish age. While he doesn’t know what her stance is on having more kids is, he knows it’s a possibility. And he wouldn’t really mind having a younger sibling or two.

Percy turns in early and hears them laugh at each other while getting ready for bed. He smiles and falls asleep peacefully to the sound of his mum’s laugh, one of his favorite sounds in the world.

\---

His dreams, however, are not so peaceful.

Percy sees Kronos in hazy glimpses. He sees the scar gleam on Luke’s face as he speaks, waving his wand. He sees a crowd of people, Ethan Nakamura among them; he sees Bianca di Angelo, telling him about how her brother is going to start at Hogwarts next year, and how excited she is to see him grow. He’s back with Luke, hearing _Hogwarts is a joke._ Annabeth runs toward him, throwing her arms around him, pressing her mouth softly against his, touching the small of his back, holding his hand. He sees his Patronus, running on the grass with a barn owl gliding overhead.

Finally, he stands in the middle of a field, fog surrounding him. Flashes of light come from all around him, different colors, probably different spells. He can hear shouting. He thinks he’s in the middle of a battle, but he can’t be sure.

Then, out of the fog, emerges Kronos, dressed in black robes, painfully pale and gaunt as he holds his wand. The scar across his eye sticks out as a deep red against the contrast of his blond hair and pale complexion. He grins, then, and Percy’s dream-self feels frozen to the spot where he stands.

Kronos outstretches his arm, pointing his wand right at Percy. “ _Percy Jackson,_ ” he says, his voice sharp, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard or the sound of unsheathing a sword. “ _Ready to die?_ ”

\---

“Percy!”

Percy wakes up with a jolt. The last thing he can remember from his dreams is a flash of green light aimed right for his face. His heart is beating fast, and it takes him a moment to realize the lights in his bedroom are on and his mother is hovering over him. “Uh?” he manages in his post-sleep haze.

Sally smiles at him with warm blue eyes. “Happy birthday, darling,” she says, leaning forward to kiss his head.

“What time is it?” he asks, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

His mum looks a little guilty. “Midnight,” she says. “I was still awake when the day changed, so I snuck in here to wish you a happy birthday.”

Percy smiles sleepily up at her. “Thanks, Mum,” he says, propping himself up on his arms. “Love you.”

“I love you.” Sally kisses her son on the forehead and smooths his hair back. “I’ll let you get back to sleep. I’m sure you want to sleep in as late as possible.”

“You’re right about that.” Percy says. He lies back down, closing his eyes until the lights go off and he hears his mum close his door. Then he opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling. _Midnight._ He’d only been asleep for half an hour, or maybe an hour at most. Suddenly, sleep doesn’t feel so appealing.

He wishes he were one year older, so he could Apparate—but even if he could, where would he go? His first thought is Grover’s, probably, but he knows he’d probably go to Annabeth’s instead. He feels alone, oddly, despite his mum and stepdad being a door away. The analog clock beside his bed changes to 12:01, so Percy closes his eyes again and tries to get back to sleep.

\---

The nightmares don’t plague him, his time, but his dreams are still a bit unnerving. He almost feels like he’s seeing the future. Percy briefly wonders, in terror, if the battle will be brought to Hogwarts. If his second home will be destroyed. If he’ll be forced to fight and watch friends fall on the grounds of the only place he’d really felt safe. He supposes Kronos would enjoy that, and that makes him feel even worse.

He sleeps for eleven hours and wakes up with Mrs O’Leary purring on his chest. He comes downstairs to blue pancakes and blue orange juice. He won’t see his friends until later, at Jason’s, where they’re going to play Quidditch and swim in the lake in Jason’s backyard and not only celebrate Percy’s birthday, but also the end of summer.

He gets another shirt with an ocean pun on it from his mum and a new collar for Mrs O’Leary from Paul. Paul also promises to buy him something in Diagon Alley. Sally shoves a couple candles into a bonus birthday cupcake and takes a photo with Percy’s wizard camera as he blows them out, locking the moment into a photo forever.

\---

Spending the evening at Jason’s is fun, but by the time the sun goes down, it gets chillier, so they all put their clothes back on over their swimsuits and retreat inside to play Muggle and wizard games alike. They’re halfway through the Muggle game "Go, Fish” when Percy excuses himself to sit outside in Jason’s backyard, at the picnic table right beside the lake.

“Hey.” Annabeth slides onto the bench next to him. In her hands is a blue brick. When she slides it onto the table, Percy realizes that it’s a largely misshapen cupcake. “Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain,” she says.

Percy stares at the cupcake. “Who made that?”

“Me and Grover. This was the first attempt. There’s a better one in the kitchen, but Grover and I figured you would need to appreciate this one.”

He smiles. “I do appreciate it.”

Annabeth smiles back. They cut the thing in half and used their hands to eat it, getting blue frosting everywhere. Even the cake itself is blue, underneath all of the frosting. The moon is reflected across the lake, giving a sort of silvery light to everything. It reminds Percy of their Patronuses, and it makes him smile.

“What are you thinking?” she asks softly.

“A lot of things.” Percy admits without meaning to. When Annabeth raises an eyebrow, he elaborates: “Our Patronuses. When we conjured them for the first time in the Room of Requirement. I told you I was thinking about my mum when I conjured my Patronus.”

“You did.” Annabeth remembers.

“Except I wasn’t.” he says. He wants to wring his hands together, but his fingers are coated in frosting, so instead he rests them on his thighs, palms up. “I realized something that day, right before I did it. I was thinking about a lot of moments. All of them were about you and me.”

“Oh?”

“Like second year after my team won the first match I’d played in. Or third year, flirting with you while we were in the middle of a bloody Quidditch game. Or fourth year, when we’d kissed just before the match. I was thinking…”

Annabeth says, “There’s no need for you to tell me. Obviously, Quidditch is your happiest memory. I get it.”

Percy looks over at her and sees that she’s trying very hard not to smile. She’s failing miserably, which only makes her look more beautiful, and at Percy’s annoyed glance Annabeth’s smile widens.

“You’re laughing at me.” Percy complains.

“I am not!”

“You are _so_ not making this easy.”

But Annabeth knows what he’s trying to say without even saying it. She laughs then, scooting forward on the bench, placing her arms around Percy’s neck. “I am never, _ever_ going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.”

She kisses him. Or he kisses her. Percy doesn’t really know, and he doesn’t really care. He puts his arms around her waist, careful not to put his frosting-covered hands on her orange tee, and feels like his brain is melting right through his body.

Percy could stay in this moment forever. He _wants_ to, but he knows it’s impossible, especially when he hears Zoё say, “Well, it’s about _time!”_

Breaking away from Annabeth, he can see that their friends have all come out to the backyard. They all have similar expressions on their face and it’s enough to make Percy blush. “Don’t we get any privacy?” Percy says, as Annabeth leans forward to rest her forehead against his cheek.

“Nuh-uh.” Jason says. “You kiss at my house, you get no personal space. It’s the rules.”

“ _I_ think,” says Zoё casually, “that the lovebirds need to cool off.”

“The lake!” Connor shouts.

Percy doesn’t even fight it. He lets their friends lift him and Annabeth up and toss them right into the lake, laughing the whole time. He remembers first year, when Annabeth had accidentally pushed him into the Black Lake and given him the nickname ‘Seaweed Brain.' The lake in Jason’s backyard is no Black Lake, but it’s good enough.

He lets go of Annabeth’s hand when they hit the water, but he soon finds it again, putting one hand on her waist and threading his fingers through hers with the other. They kiss, again, in the cold water of the lake, and as they stay there, Percy feels a bubble form around their heads. For maybe one of the first times, he’s grateful to be a descendant in a powerful bloodline.

Needless to say, with the air bubble around their heads, they don’t have to hurry.

In Percy’s opinion, it’s pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone pls enjoy! next chapter probably won't have much plot in it, but it'll still be a good one. i'm halfway through writing it now, so let's hope i post it within the next two days! <3 validate meeeeeee


	6. sixth year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war isn’t just coming. The war is _here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh. this took me forever to write. this is mostly a filler chapter? i didn't even write all of sixth year bc i feel as if it doesn't need it. i did, however, want to explore a little more percy/annabeth as a couple, so there's a bunch of fluff in this chapter, amongst other small plot things :)
> 
> enjoy, as always <3
> 
> //i didnt mean to make nico suffer a lil bit more, buuuut..... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i love my poor son

The last two weeks leading up to Percy’s sixth year at Hogwarts are the best two weeks of his life.

Of course, if he’d said anything otherwise, Annabeth _might_ have killed him, but he means it. He loves her, and he’s pretty sure she loves him, even if they’ve really only been _dating_ for two weeks. Percy thinks it’s pretty incredible that their anniversary is also his birthday. He’s pretty sure he’ll never forget that one.

They return to King’s Cross for the start of their sixth year. Percy sees Thalia and Travis both on the platform, but only to send their younger siblings off. He waves at them both.

“Amazing,” says Paul, who has crossed over through the barrier for the first time. He’s staring at the train in awe. It’s not really magical, just a bunch of students loading their items onto a steam-engine train, but Paul is looking around like it’s one of the best things he’s ever seen. “Truly.”

“Write us when you can,” Sally says to her son, like she does every year. They both hug him, and then Percy watches them go back through the barrier, holding Mrs O’Leary in one arm and his wand in the other.

“Hey, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth says from behind him. Percy turns, but she’s not there. Smiling, he reaches out and his fingers close around an invisible shoulder that flexes as Annabeth comes into view, lowering the navy baseball cap from her head. “Nothing can get past you, huh?”

“Nope.” Percy says, slinging his arm around her shoulder. “Not anymore.”

Annabeth sighs. “I knew there was a downside to dating you.”

“Uh—excuse me? No downsides here, Wise Girl.” Percy stares at her, mock-offended.

“Uh huh.” she looks unconvinced. “Come on. Let’s find our friends.”

They do. Jason, Leo, and Piper are sitting in one of the first compartments they pass, along with Connor and Zoё. Percy knocks on the door and slides it open, poking his head in.

“Oi,” he says, and all of them look up. “Mind if we join?”

“Hey!” Connor says brightly. Percy and Annabeth step inside, closing the door behind them. “Long time no see.”

“We saw you two weeks ago.” Annabeth points out.

“Yeah, but a lot can change in two weeks.” Connor replies. He gives Percy a look that makes Percy’s face bright red.

“Piss off, Stoll.” Percy mutters. He sits on bench with Annabeth beside him and kisses the top of her curls as Mrs O’Leary leaps from his arms to curl up beside Sparky, Jason’s cat, who has curled up in a patch of sunlight from one of the windows of the train.

Grover appears next, setting his crutches against the wall as he sits. “Why does Percy look like a tomato?” he questions.

“Connor.” Annabeth says, without further explanation, and Grover makes an _ahh_ sound, like he knows exactly what happened.

Hazel, Frank, Rachel, Nico, and Will sit in the compartment opposite them. Hazel returns with a cat, who takes extreme curiosity in Rachel’s toad. It’s an entertaining sight to see. It gets to the point where Hazel’s new cat, Jewel, has to be put in the compartment with Sparky and Mrs O’Leary.

Annabeth stays seated on the bench beside Percy, curled into his side. He’s sixteen years old, in love with his best friend, and dating her, too. He kind of can’t believe it.

\---

Percy notices something when they arrive at the carriages and it baffles him.

Like every year, the carriages are pulled by invisible forces. He’s about to climb into one of them when he sees Nico, his hand brushing something invisible, murmuring words under his breath.

Nico can _see_ whatever is pulling the carriage.

When he asks Annabeth, after the carriages have started to move, she says, “They’re called Thestrals, I think. I asked Professor Quintus about them a few years ago.”

“Why can’t we see them?”

Annabeth glances at the carriage behind them, where Nico sits with Will, Rachel, Hazel, and Frank. “The only way you can see Thestrals is if you’ve seen death.”

Percy frowns. “Like...a corpse?”

She shakes her head. “No. _Seen_ death. Like, witness someone die. And if you’ve processed or dealt with it.”

Percy glances at Nico. The third year’s eyes are focused ahead of him, staring at the invisible space right where the Thestral must be.

And then it hits him. And he inhales.

“What?” Annabeth says, putting her hand on Percy’s arm. “What is it?”

“I—I’ll tell you later,” he promises. His throat closes.

He had noticed, last year, that Nico seemed to be doing better, especially when he’d spoken about Bianca during a conversation and hadn’t had to pause afterwards to keep his emotions at bay. If Percy really thinks about it, he wonders if he can recall Nico paying extra attention at the end of last year, when the carriages had taken them to the train.

If Percy is right…

He doesn't have time to dwell on it, though, because Jason gets his attention then, asking a question, and Percy pushes the suspicion aside for the time being.

\---

“Uh, Percy?” Connor says at breakfast, three weeks into the school year. “I don’t mean to captain my captain, but...we should probably look at starting tryouts for the team before the month ends.”

Connor’s right. Percy sets his cup down. “Merlin. I’d forgotten. Um...how does Saturday sound?”

“Good.” Connor says. “Except Gryffindor’s got the pitch in the morning and Hufflepuff has it in the afternoon.”

Percy winces. “Sunday?”

“Should be fine.” he muses. “I’ll go reserve it real quick.”

He exhales. “Where would I be without you?”

“Probably dead.” Connor says cheerfully. “But as your number two, it’s my duty to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll be back.”

“It’s going to be a hard year,” says Zoё, once Connor leaves the table. “How many open positions do you have?”

Percy blinks. “Um,” he says. “Well...Connor and I are Beaters. “Reyna is Keeper. Um...Ethan’s gone, so we need a new Seeker. And Jake Mason is our only remaining Chaser.”

“So you need two Chasers and a Seeker.” Zoё says. She looks at Nico and then says, “Nico and I are trying out.”

“You are?” Percy asks, just as Nico says, “We are?”

“Sure.” Zoё rolls her eyes. “Nico’s good at Quidditch and you know it. I’d like to think I’ve improved over the years, of course. Is that a surprise, us wanting to try out?”

“No!” he says. “Of course not. It’d be great, actually, to have you guys on the team. Not that I can play favorites.”

“Of course not.” Nico says. He’s staring at Zoё with a mildly annoyed expression. Zoё only smiles back at him with one of the biggest smiles Percy has ever seen on her face. Then, like the conversation didn’t even happen, they both return to eating.

\---

Nico and Zoё, to Percy’s surprise, end up being surprisingly good. He looks at Nico for Seeker after he watches the third year go from one end of the pitch, weaving in and out of the other players on the pitch. And Zoё, even if she isn’t the fastest, doesn’t let anyone take the Quaffle from her once. Percy and Connor look at each other exactly once during tryouts and it’s a non-verbal agreement that both their friends are probably going to make the team.

And then Octavian steps onto the pitch.

The last time Percy had seen the blond try to play Quidditch, he’d barely been able to control his broom. He doesn’t really know _what_ Octavian is playing at, but the broom he’s holding is a newer model and he flies up to Percy’s level pretty easily, so Percy shrugs and says, “Back to positions! Let’s see what he’s got.”

To Percy’s surprise, and dismay, Octavian ends up being pretty good. Granted, the only other time Percy has seen Octavian play Quidditch other than today was Percy’s second year. Four years is _definitely_ enough time to go from a rubbish Quidditch player to a decent one, if not a good one.

They end tryouts around three in the afternoon. The minute Percy touches down on the pitch, right beside Connor, Connor says, “ _No._ No way.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Percy protests.

Connor is glaring at him. “You don’t have to. I can see it in your face.” he accuses. “ _You_ want Nico as Seeker and Zoё and Octavian as the Chasers.”

Percy blinks. “Is that bad?”

“I’m okay with Nico and Zoё—but not _Octavian!_ Are you nuts?” Connor crosses his arms over his chest, following Percy to the locker room.

Percy sighs. “Look. He tried out. He’s good! Tell me you saw someone else up there who was better.”

Connor is silent for a moment. Percy is about to call it, but then Connor blurts, “What about Gwen?”

Percy puts his broom and his goggles away. “Dude. Gwen dropped the Quaffle _every time_ she had it.”

“She’s still a better person than Octavian.”

“I’m not choosing my Quidditch team based on their morality.” Percy points out, removing his uniform. Connor throws his stuff in his own locker with a little agitation. “I’m choosing based on _talent._ I hate Octavian. You know I do. But he’s _good_ , and we need good. We only have to put up with him this year, anyway. Then he’ll be gone, and we can fill his spot.”

“I don’t like it.” Connor grumbles.

Percy sighs and claps his friend’s shoulder. “Thing is, Stoll, but you don’t _have_ to like it. You just have to put up with it.”

They close their lockers at the same time and trudge back up to the castle together.

\---

“Let’s get this out of the way.” Percy says bluntly. “I don’t like you.”

He kind of likes the fact that he’s taller than Octavian. He feels a little more powerful. Then again, he’s always been kind of stronger than Octavian. The seventh year’s nose is permanently crooked from when Percy had broken his nose. There’s no trace from when Percy accidentally almost drowned him, but it still happened. A couple of Octavian’s friends who had witnessed it _still_ steer clear of Percy in the hallways.

Octavian has to look up to see him. “Feeling’s mutual, Jackson,” he sneers.

“Good.” Percy says. “Then we understand each other. And I hope _you_ understand that if you piss me off, even in the smallest way imaginable, your year on the team is not going to be pleasant.”

The blond’s smug expression falters.

“If I hear you use _any_ slurs,” Percy continues, “I _will_ kick you off the team. If I see you picking on _anyone_ , I will kick you off the team. If you’re an asshole in _any_ situation, I will kick you off the team. Am I clear?”

Octavian says nothing.

“I don’t care if it’s at a practice or before a game or in a hallway. I don’t care if I’m not _there_ and I hear it secondhand from a friend.” Percy crosses his arms over his chest. “Given our history, I’m sure you know what might happen if I hear you say anything about anyone that is even remotely cruel. _Clear?"_

Octavian glances around. There are a few students around, including Connor, who is watching Octavian with a dangerous glare. Finally, Octavian looks back up at Percy and says, “Fine.”

“Good.” Percy says. “Welcome to the Quidditch team, then. Don’t mess it up.”

He steps aside so Octavian can officially see his name on the team sheet.

\---

Percy finds Annabeth underneath the tree beside the lake, almost like it’s fate, and finds himself smiling when he sits beside her.

“Hey, Chase,” he says, and to his surprise, she looks up right away. “Long time no see.”

Annabeth blushes and closes her book. “Sorry,” she says. “I just...schoolwork.”

“Duh.” Percy leans back on his elbows. “I don’t mind. I miss you, though.”

“I miss you too.” Annabeth says. Percy grabs her hand— _because he can_ —and squeezes it. “I heard you put Octavian on the Quidditch team.”

Percy blinks. “That was a week ago. Have we _really_ not talked since then?”

Annabeth shrugs. She sets her textbook aside and kisses his cheek, shifting so she can see him. “Guess not.”

“ _Merlin_ , we’re the worst.”

She laughs. “Yeah,” she agrees. “We are. But I guess we’ll just have to make up for it.”

And they do. They sit under the tree together for at least an hour, and Percy finds that kissing Annabeth is one of his favorite things to do.

\---

Percy gets the letter in October and almost cries when he reads it.

He doesn’t get much mail from his parents. He doesn’t mind. Handling an owl as a pet is never easy, especially if Muggles are the ones trying to handle it. As a result, Percy suggested that his mum get in touch with Connor’s parents to borrow their owl if she ever needed to send something to Percy without him sending something first. So far, it’s worked.

So when Connor’s owl swoops into the Great Hall during breakfast and drops a singular letter addressed to Percy on the table, Percy knows it’s more than just a casual catch-up.

His first emotion is fear. He reaches out for the envelope and tears it open with trembling fingers. Connor, Nico, and Zoё have stopped eating to watch carefully as Percy pulls the letter out and discards the envelope.

He scans the paper as quickly as possible and then drops it, right onto his plate.

“Percy?” Zoё asks worriedly, as Connor snatches the letter away from Percy. “What is it? Are you okay? Is your _mum_ okay?”

“Merlin’s beard!” Connor yelps. He passes the letter to Zoё, while Percy remains frozen in his seat. “Read it. Percy—congratulations, man!”

Percy’s mum is pregnant. Sally is having a _baby._ With Paul.

Percy is going to be an older brother.

Zoё passes the letter to Nico, who scans it and passes it back to Percy with a small smile on his gaunt face. “Congrats to you and your mum,” Nico says. “And to Paul. How do you feel?”

“I don’t know.” Percy admits. “I mean—I know my mum is happy. She and Paul will do great raising a kid. And I’ve always wanted to be a big brother.”

“But?” Zoё prompts.

“But I’m scared, too.” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean...a baby. That’s, like, the tiniest thing. Easily hurt. Hard to defend from wizards, if you’re a Muggle.”

“Don’t focus on that.” Zoё says immediately. She puts her hand over Percy’s. “Come on. This is a _happy_ thing. And Kronos hasn’t gone after your family yet. What makes you think he’ll start now?”

She’s right. “I just...I guess I’m more pessimistic these days,” says Percy, sighing.

“You have every right to be.” she says. Smiling warmly, Zoё removes her hand from his. “Now go _write back_. She’ll want to hear from you right away.”

“Okay.” Percy says. He smiles at his friends, who all smile back, and then gets up from the table, practically sprinting out of the Great Hall.

Annabeth sees him run past the Ravenclaw table and asks, “Where’s the fire, Seaweed Brain?”

Percy skids to a stop. He runs back to her and grasps her by the arms, kisses her full on the mouth, and says excitedly, “My mum is having a baby!”

He hears the ‘awws’ of the Ravenclaws sitting around his girlfriend as he runs out of the Great Hall.

\---

They’re sitting in the library together when Annabeth says, “I think you should be a teacher.”

Percy blinks sleepily at her. It’s too late for this. In fact, it’s almost midnight, he thinks, and he’s been sitting beside Annabeth with his head in his arms for almost an hour. So his brain’s a little cloudy. Give him a break. “What?”

“A teacher, Seaweed Brain,” she repeats, as Percy sits up and runs a hand through his hair. “You know, a professor. Like, here.”

“You think?” he asks, keeping his head up with his fist on his cheek. “Why is that?”

Annabeth taps her pencil against her mouth. “I don’t know,” she says. “I just think you’d be great at it. When you were teaching our friends how to perform a Patronus Charm, I thought about it. And you could be a good mentor. Clearly, Professor Hestia thinks so. She made you Quidditch captain.”

Percy blinks. “You think?”

“You can’t just be a good Quidditch player to be a captain.” Annabeth points out. “You have to be able to guide. To lead. That’s _you_. Besides, I know you. I think you’d be an excellent teacher and I think it’s something you should seriously consider. Unless you’ve already got something else in mind.”

He bites his lip. “I don’t know,” he says. “I haven’t had much time to think about it, in all honesty. I was looking at being an Auror, maybe. I thought I could be good at that.”

“You’re good at a lot of things, Seaweed Brain.” she puts her hand over his and threads their fingers together. “And if you want to be an Auror, then be an Auror.”

But Annabeth’s words have already stuck in his head. A _teacher?_ What would he teach? How could he immediately get a job if Hogwarts is already full of teachers? What teacher would retire at miraculously the right time?

But he’d be _good_ as an Auror. He already knows that. It’d be a good way to use his extra power for good. To help the Wizarding World. Of course, it would put him in danger for pretty much the rest of his life…

Percy groans and sinks his head back into his arms.

Annabeth lets go of his hand. He feels her kiss his head and run her fingers through his hair, sending chills down Percy’s spine. “Poor, stressed boy.” she muses.

“If I’m stressed,” says Percy, his voice muffled by his arms, “what does that make you?”

“Dead, probably.”

They both laugh. Annabeth twists his hair around her fingers and keeps her hand on his head. Presumably, she goes back to reading, because Percy hears the turning of a textbook page moments later. It’s a comforting gesture, and it makes Percy feel even more tired. So he closes his eyes, just for a little bit.

He’s half-asleep when he hears, “Hey.”

It’s Rachel’s voice. He doesn’t have to lift his head to know that. He’s about to sit up, though, but then Annabeth says, “Oh, hey. Did you talk to her?”

Talk to who?

“I did.” Rachel says, sounding breathless.

“And?”

“She said a lot of things. A lot about me. It was kind of scary.” Rachel exhales. “But that’s not what’s important. I asked her about prophecies and—get this—apparently, there’s a whole _room_ in the Ministry full of them.”

Annabeth makes a noise of surprise. “Really?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Rachel hums. “Department of Mysteries, she said. It’s an entire hall of prophecies. New, old. Some completed and others years from happening. But apparently only a few people know about it. You know—if everyone knew the hall existed, the world would be destroyed. But the hall is organized alphabetically, and only the Keeper of the Hall or the subject of the prophecy can lift and hear it.”

“Wow.” Annabeth’s hand smooths over Percy’s hair. “Thank you. For asking that.”

“It’s no problem.” the redhead promises. “I was curious myself, so. Killing two birds with one stone. Though…can I ask why you wanted to know?”

“I was just interested.” Annabeth lies. It strikes Percy, then, that he knows Annabeth so well that he can tell when she’s lying without looking at her face. “I’ve been doing extra reading, recently, while trying to figure out what I want to do after Hogwarts. And I’d heard rumors. Plus, Professor May loves you, so I figured asking you to ask her wouldn’t hurt.”

“Well, you were right.” Rachel says. She then adds, “Is he really asleep?”

“Percy can sleep anywhere at any time.” Annabeth says. “He doesn’t need stronger magic to do that. One time I _swear_ Connor told me Percy fell asleep at a Quidditch practice. On his broom.”

“I did not.” Percy grumbles, irritated.

“Ah,” says Rachel, sounding amused. “Sleeping Beauty wakes.”

Percy rolls his eyes and pushes himself up from the table. “It’s not true.” he says to Annabeth. “I would never fall asleep on my broom. I am a star Quidditch player.”

“Your eyebrows lift a little bit when you lie, you know?” Annabeth says, tapping him between the eyes. “It’s kind of cute. Also, I’m a little mad Connor never got me a photo of you napping on your broom.”

“It didn’t happen!” Percy protests.

Rachel stands up, amusement written all over her face. “I’ll see you two lovebirds later,” she says. Percy and Annabeth both wave at her, and then the redhead leaves the library, her hair bouncing behind her.

“So.” Annabeth says, as Percy turns his head to face her. “How much of that did you hear?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” Percy says, frowning at her. “I heard all of it. A Hall of Prophecies?”

“I started thinking about it this summer.” she admits. “When you said you felt like someone wasn’t telling you something. And that it could maybe be a prophecy. I didn’t know that they existed, not officially, so I decided to ask Rachel. To see if she could ask Professor May.”

Percy chews on his lower lip. “So,” he says, “there could be a prophecy out there about me. Shouldn’t I know about it? Isn’t that something I should be made aware of?”

“Sometimes people don’t get told about their prophecies because it could make things worse.” Annabeth explains. “It could make them aware of what they’re destined to be. I don’t know _when_ they do get told, though. And—Percy, we still don’t even know if there’s a prophecy that involves you.”

“If one does, though,” says Percy, “then it probably also involves Luke.”

“You think?”

“It seems like it would make sense.” he admits. “I mean...he’s a Dark Wizard. He’s our threat. Kronos. Everything is leading up to what will probably be a battle, and at the center of it might be me and Kronos.”

“I don’t want it to come down to that.” Annabeth says quietly.

Percy grabs her hand and laces their fingers together. He feels a heavy pit in his stomach. “I don’t, either,” he assures her. “But it might.”

Annabeth is silent for a moment. Then she clears her throat, lifting up her book with her free hand. “Well, there’s no need to worry about that right now. We don’t even know if or when that will happen. Meanwhile, I _know_ that this Defense assignment is due tomorrow, and if I don’t finish, Professor Chiron is going to have my head…”

She falls into silence, letting herself get invested in the book. Percy remains in his seat, but he doesn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he watches his girlfriend, watches the way her eyebrows move, the way her mouth shapes the words she reads, the way her nose twitches a little bit. She’s beautiful, and he knows it, and Percy is incredibly lucky to have her.

He hopes she knows that. He also hopes she knows that he can read her like an open book. Percy knows changing the subject, mostly because he’s been doing it all his life, and he knows when Annabeth deflects things. He’s not going to push it, because she already seems stressed enough, but he knows they’ll have to talk about it, eventually.

Annabeth is his first relationship and he is hers. They’ve been friends for ages, but now everything feels different. Not in a bad way, but it affects their dynamic and Percy knows this. He knows that he reacts differently to things now, in a boyfriend way, rather than in a best friend way. He knows that he can be more vocal about how he feels. He knows all of this applies to Annabeth, too, and although he’s never been in one before, Percy kind of feels like he’s failing at relationships.

Percy calls it a night half an hour later. He kisses Annabeth’s temple and stands up and she smiles at him, looking up from her book.

A _prophecy,_ though. Could it be true? Percy had mostly waved it off as overthinking things, but after hearing the information Rachel had brought...he’s not so sure. He could be in one. Or everyone could just be assuming that he’s the one who is going to fight Kronos, in the end. Putting weight on his shoulders that doesn’t need to be there.

He feels like punching something. He wonders if going up to the Room of Requirement is something worth doing, but Percy knows that it’s late and it’s seven floors away and the last time he tried punching something for just a minute it didn’t end well.

His feet take him to the dungeons before Percy’s brain can even make a decision. Connor is already asleep, so Percy drags himself into his bed in the dark. Mrs O’Leary is curled up against his pillow, like she always is, and she purrs and softly bats at his nose when Percy lies down. His brain is buzzing, still wide awake, and he wonders just how much sleep he’s _actually_ going to get that night.

Percy’s not surprised when it takes him an hour to fall asleep, and when nightmares plague him until he wakes up.

\---

November brings the first Quidditch match of the year. The Slytherin-Gryffindor match is Percy’s second-favorite game of the year. Gryffindor is probably their most formidable opponent on the field, and typically these matches are the longest of the year. It’s a worthy distraction, at the very least.

“You ready for this, Octavian?” Connor says from next to Percy, glaring daggers at the blond across the Slytherin table. “Your first and last match against Gryffindor.”

“Stop it.” Percy mutters. Octavian just ignores them. “Don’t antagonize him, man.”

Connor stares at Percy. “Since when do you like Octavian?”

“I don’t like him.” Percy stabs at his eggs. “But he’s still on the team. And inter-team hostility is the last thing we need.”

“Right.” Connor’s expression sobers. “Sorry. I just...you know, hate him. A lot.”

“Me too.” Percy agrees. “But so far, he’s stayed in line, so...putting up with him a once a week at practice is something I can deal with for the time being.”

He’s also a little skeptical about Octavian’s motives. He wouldn’t be surprised at all if Octavian was another one of Luke’s spies. Everything Octavian stands for is the reason Kronos exists. So Percy’s been a little harder on him for those specific reasons. Ethan Nakamura could not have been Luke’s only friend in the castle.

“Hey.” Annabeth says from above him. “Stop brooding.”

Percy looks up. Annabeth sits beside him on his opposite side and Percy’s heart skips a beat, probably because he thinks this is the first time she’s only been dressed in Slytherin colors for this particular match. He’s pretty sure that the sweater he’s been missing for a few weeks now is the one that she’s wearing, but he doesn’t really mind. “Hey, Wise Girl,” he greets, kissing her cheek.

“Hi.” Annabeth responds. She plucks a piece of bacon from his plate and says, “I came over here because you look like you want to murder someone.”

“I don’t want to murder anyone.” Percy says, confused.

“I want to murder Octavian.” Connor inputs cheerfully.

“I’m just _saying_.” Annabeth says, looking mildly amused. “Percy, you have a serious case of resting bitch face right now.”

“Concentrating.” Percy mutters. Annabeth takes another piece of bacon from his plate before he can swat her hand away. “Suppose it would go away if you kissed me, though.”

Connor gags, loudly and pointedly, before Annabeth can respond. “You two are gross.”

“Jealousy’s an ugly color on you, Stoll.” Annabeth muses.

He looks stunned. “Really? I’d like to think green’s my color, really. It brings out the blue in my eyes.”

Percy elbows him. “Round up the team and head down to the pitch,” he tells Connor. “I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”

“Make good choices.” Connor tells both of them. He walks away from the table, tapping the members of the Quidditch team as he goes. When he gets to Octavian, he basically punches him on the back. Connor’s grin is directed at Percy as he and the rest of the team exit the hall.

“Kick ass out there, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth says. She places her arms around his neck and kisses him sweetly. “I’ll see you after the match.”

“I’ll be the one in green-and-silver.” Percy jokes.

She smiles brightly. “Me too.”

Percy laughs and kisses her on the head, standing up. “I’d say you could have the rest of my bacon, but you already _did_.”

“You were slow.” Annabeth says, showing no remorse whatsoever. “Go. Or Connor’s going to rip Octavian’s head off and use it as a Quaffle.”

He grimaces. “Merlin, Annabeth. I did _not_ need that visual.”

“ _Go_ ,” Annabeth says, laughing, pushing him away. Percy stoops down to give her one last kiss and then hurries out of the hall, down to the Quidditch pitch.

They win the match, after two and half hours. Octavian proves to be a decently good player, especially during a match, and Connor doesn’t ‘accidentally’ hit a Bludger toward him at all. Percy sneaks Annabeth and Grover into the common room celebration, because it’s his first win as captain and he wants his two best friends to be there. He congratulates Nico, for catching the Snitch at his first match, and Zoё, for being the best Chaser on the team this year. He tells them both how grateful he is to have them, and he doesn’t just mean on the team.

It’s not until the end of the party that Percy realizes Octavian wasn’t there at all. If only he’d known earlier, he might have tried to follow after him. Percy was really, _really_ hoping for a semi-normal year, at least once while he’s at Hogwarts, but he guesses it’s too good to be true.

\---

“Are you going home for Christmas?” Grover asks, the day the holiday sign-up sheet is posted.

He catches Percy staring at it, quill in his hand, like he has been for the past ten minutes. It’s a battle Percy hasn’t thought about much, but he has to pick a side today. “I don’t know,” says Percy honestly. “I want to. See my mum and Paul. But I enjoyed spending last Christmas here. And I didn’t have to worry about anything happening.”

“Nothing’s going to, mate.” Grover pulls his arm out of one of his crutches to place it on Percy’s shoulder. “And even if it does, you can protect them. But nothing will.” When Percy says nothing, Grover lets his hand fall. “We missed you last year. I think you’ll really enjoy coming home.”

Percy sighs. He pockets the quill. “Later,” he says, and follows Grover to Defense Against the Dark Arts, putting the decision in the back of his mind.

Or at least he tries to. It gnaws at him during class. When he meets Annabeth after, he realizes that she’s also waiting for his answer, and finally makes a decision.

“I’m going home,” he says to her. Her eyes light up. “For Christmas. I figure one Christmas away from my mum is enough.”

Annabeth kisses his cheek. “I think that’s a good idea, Seaweed Brain.”

“Will you stay at your dad’s?”

She shakes her head. “Piper’s, probably,” she says. “Christmas with my dad’s family is never enjoyable. And Piper’s dad has always welcomed me there. Plus, she’s closer to your house than I would be, so...it’s a win-win.”

“Yeah. Mum’s going to want you over as much as possible.” Percy warns.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not.” he assures her. “As long as you like blue food and Muggle card games. And pizza.”

“All good things.” Annabeth takes his hand, threading their fingers together. “I’ll be there.”

\---

Sally and Paul are on the platform when Percy steps off the train, Mrs O’Leary on his shoulder. Thankfully, the cat has enough sense to leap into Annabeth’s arms when Percy engulfs his mother and Paul both in a bear hug.

Percy’s mum laughs. “How is it that you’ve gotten taller since I last saw you?”

“I think he’s going through another growth spurt.” Annabeth says casually. “Shouldn’t you get her a crate by now?” she adds to Percy, passing his cat back to him as Sally turns to the blonde for a hug.

“Mrs O’Leary doesn’t like crates.” Percy sniffs, holding his black cat in his arms. “I can’t believe you’d suggest that. I don’t even _know_ you.”

For emphasis, Mrs O’Leary meows and rubs the top of her head against the underside of Percy’s chin.

“You can come back with us for the evening and we can drive you to Piper’s after dinner, if you’d like.” Sally says. She turns to loop her arm through Annabeth’s and that’s when Percy can see the slight curve of his mum’s stomach. “I’ve already made cookies for both of you.”

“You’re the best, Mum.” Percy says.

Sally smiles, then, and gives Annabeth a look like she knows something Percy doesn’t. “I know.”

Unfortunately, the Christmas holidays go faster than Percy expects them to, and he doesn’t like it. He goes to Jason’s for the New Year, and this time his parents accompany him, and it becomes one of the best holiday parties he’s had with his friends.

\---

Professor Hestia tells them on the first day back from the holidays.

Everyone is gathered for dinner in the Great Hall, hundreds of adolescent witches and wizards enjoying the return of excellent Hogwarts food and the company of their friends. The only thing Percy misses, other than his parents, is his mum’s cookies, but he knows that he’s got a box of them stashed in his room waiting for him whenever he likes.

Professor Hestia raises her hands and the students fall silent. She doesn’t use a charm to make her voice louder, which almost makes the news hurt worse.

“I trust you all had an enjoyable holiday,” she says. “Now that we’ve returned, I believe it’s best to advise you that we will be increasing security on the castle. Hogsmeade visits are cancelled for the semester, and one professor must be present to supervise House Quidditch practices. No student may be caught in the corridors after ten p.m., and as an addition, the library will be closing at nine-thirty each night.”

Percy shares a glance with his Slytherin friends.

“We will be requiring all students to be traveling with at least one other student,” she adds. “Failure to comply with any of these rules will result in serious consequences. We here at Hogwarts value your safety greatly, and although these restrictions may seem extreme, they are necessary to ensure that safety.”

Half of the students broke out in nervous whispers. Percy’s heart felt like a stone in his chest. If they’re taking these precautions, something is changing. Something _has_ changed.

“Over the break, we lost a previous student from Hogwarts.” Hestia says, rather reluctantly. She shares glances with numerous other professors before bracing herself against the podium in the center. Then, gaze steely, she straightens her shoulders and lifts her chin, looking more like a Headmistress than Percy has really seen in the past five years. “He has joined the list of witches and wizards who have fallen victim to the Dark Wizard Kronos.

“After careful conversation with the Ministry of Magic, we have decided it best to tell you that there is a war brewing, and it will be here before we know it.” Hestia’s gaze sweeps over the students. Oddly enough, her stare falls on Percy, and it’s so intense that it makes him squirm in his seat. “And our priority here is to make sure we keep all of you from harm.

“Tomorrow,” she adds, “we will suspend all classes, to honor those that have fallen. Please be aware that all faculty are waiting with open ears for any student feeling overwhelmed or frightened by these events.

“With all of that being said,” says Professor Hestia, raising her voice to overpower the whispers of students. She finally moves her gaze from Percy’s, but he feels no less uncomfortable and anxious. “I bid you all goodnight.”

She waves her hands and the food disappears. Percy hadn’t eaten much, but it doesn’t matter now; he doesn’t have an appetite anyway.

He passes the Ravenclaw table on his way out and sees Annabeth sitting there with watery eyes. Fear grips him like a cold clamp around the heart when he approaches her, placing both hands on her shoulders.

“Annabeth?” he asks, as she wipes away the tears before they can fall. “Wise Girl, what is it?”

“The wizard,” Annabeth says. “The wizard Professor Hestia was talking about, the one who Kronos killed over break—it was Charles Beckendorf.”

\---

Word spreads through Hogwarts quickly about Charles Beckendorf. Annabeth only cries the first time she finds out about Beckendorf, but her attitude changes in the weeks coming. He was only Annabeth’s Quidditch captain for one year, but he was Annabeth’s _first_ Quidditch captain, and Percy knows how much she had looked up to him as a third year.

One person who is especially cut up by the news is Clarisse La Rue. Almost everyone in the school knows why; Clarisse’s closest friend is Silena Beauregard, a graduated student just two years older than Clarisse. Silena, as everyone knew, was a Gryffindor, and was in the same year as Charles Beckendorf in school. She had also been his girlfriend for as long as anyone could remember. The weeks following the announcement, Clarisse is absent from classes, and apparently only shows up to Quidditch practices for half the amount of practice time. Piper says that Clarisse is always in the dorm or in the Owlery, writing letters to her heartbroken friend as often as she can. Percy isn’t unconvinced that she would leave school in a heartbeat if she were given the chance.

Kronos had once said that Hogwarts was a joke. Beckendorf's murder is Kronos's mockery of the school he'd once attended. The school Percy has grown up in. The school that sits in the middle of the country, awaiting a battle. 

Bianca was the beginning. She was the inciting incident, the shadow of an unknown threat. Castor was the middle. He was a reminder; a message from Kronos that he was still looming in the darkness, waiting for his chance to attack. Beckendorf is the end. He is the third strike, the overflow of the dam, and the final straw. No one is safe.

The war isn’t just coming. The war is _here_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo as you can see, we're really getting into it. next chapter will be a lot of plot!
> 
> i wanted to put in the whole octavian thing because i wanted to symbolize the SMALL part of hoo in which they did have to work together. he's not going to be redeemed bc i DONT BELIEVE IN THAT (@ star wars if u redeem kylo ren i will riot), but also i kind of enjoyed the way percy was like "step one toe out of line and i will kick ur ASS, mate" :)
> 
> again, i also apologize about charlie, rip, but it had to happen. rick did it first!!! i swear i won't kill any characters that aren't dead in pjo canon just bc i love u guys and also bc i don't want to hurt my heart
> 
> ///the 'resting bitch face' that percy has is ACTUALLY something i got from ofswordsandpens (like......everything else) from a tumblr post about percy's physical attributes and it was AWESOME and i had to put it in bc it's totally true
> 
> vaaaaaaaalidate meeeee~


	7. interlude ii; summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“One day, the battle will come, and I pray you are at the center of it.”_ Kronos twirls his wand between his fingers. _“Are you willing to kill, Percy Jackson? Are you willing to murder others to prevent my success?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOOKAY. i was gonna wait until tomorrow but then i got an ask on tumblr abt my fic (psst my tumblr is also evotter btw) and decided...eh.......let's just post it :)
> 
> im so sorry 4 this chapter
> 
> if u want a song recommendation, i recommend listening to 'light in the hallway' by pentatonix while u read

Estelle Laura Blofis is born at the end of June, just days after Percy returns from Hogwarts. She has all ten fingers and all ten toes and she’s a tiny baby and Percy can probably hold her in one arm (but he doesn’t, because he’s more terrified of dropping her than his mum probably is). Her eyes are dark, too dark to see what color they’ll turn out to be, and her tiny tuft of hair is dark brown. Percy hopes her eyes are blue, like Sally’s, instead of brown, like his stepfather’s. She’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen in the world and calls every single one of his friends after he meets her.

The only two that he invites to the hospital, though, are Grover and Annabeth. Hospitals make Grover nervous but he comes anyway, which speaks volumes to Percy. Annabeth comes, of course, accompanying Grover into the hospital in the early afternoon.

Grover cries when he meets Estelle, but he doesn’t hold her. Annabeth does, shortly, and smiles at Percy the whole time she does.

A new life. A small light in what Percy feels is the infinite dark. A small moment of calm interrupting the storm. Estelle opens her eyes when Annabeth places her back in Sally’s arms and Percy deflates, just a little bit.

“Come on, Seaweed Brain,” says Annabeth, putting her hand in Percy’s. “Let’s get some coffee from the cafeteria and give your parents a break.”

Percy follows his girlfriend out of the hospital room. Grover follows, and that’s when Percy notices that his friend has added tiny pink bows to his crutches, to celebrate the birth of Percy’s little sister. Grover notices Percy staring at them and blushes.

“My mum suggested them,” he mutters.

“No—no, man, I love them.” Percy says honestly. “I’m not sure how well pink goes with Hufflepuff colors, but I love them. You should show them to my mum when we get back to them.”

Grover blushes again. “Okay,” he says. “I will.”

The coffee is terrible, as Percy predicts, but he drinks it anyway. Instead of making him more awake, it just relaxes him, soothing his jittering nervous, even just for a few hours. They sit at a table, the three of them, and make jokes and tell nostalgic stories. Percy recalls the year they tried to play hackey sack and it puts all three of them into fits of laughter.

He stares at his two best friends. And he thinks this summer won’t be so bad.

\---

Estelle is _great,_ Percy decides. She’s too young to be awake most of the time, so she just sleeps, eats, and poops. Literally. Percy holds her at least one hour a day, and he introduces her to his favorite movie before she’s one week old.

“Are you poisoning her brain already?” Sally asks, frowning at her son.

“Um,” says Percy, staring at his mum with fake-horror. “Excuse me, but _The Little Mermaid_ can never poison anyone. Ever.”

Sally looks like she wants to argue, but she and Percy both know that Percy keeping his baby sister occupied for an hour is an extra hour Sally gets to herself. And Percy can already see the toll motherhood is taking on his mum. And that’s _with_ Paul already.

So he adds, “Also, I’m sorry for when I did this to you as a kid.”

“Uh huh,” says his mum. “I’m sure you are.”

“I am!”

“It’s too late for apologies.”

Percy grins. “Love you, Mum.”

Sally waves a hand in his general direction before shuffling back to her bedroom. Paul is a Muggle school-teacher, so he has the summer off, but he’s taken up an extra job to bring in a little more income, especially since Percy’s home until September and has no problem watching Estelle if needed. His friends visit, rather than Percy leaving his house, and suddenly, Estelle becomes the star of their friend group.

“She’s the cutest,” says Zoё, smiling as she leans over Percy’s shoulder to look at his baby sister.

“I know.” Percy replies. Estelle’s eyes have lightened enough for Percy to tell that they’re going to be blue, just like his mum’s.

Even Connor seems infatuated with her, immediately requesting to hold her when he meets the baby. Nico, however, stays away from the baby, but he does smile when Estelle makes a little noise in her sleep. Piper, Jason, and Leo visit together and all gush over Estelle with the same amount of enthusiasm. Thalia, Jason says, has joined a secret group that he can’t talk about, but she’s doing her best to help fight against this war. For a few weeks, Percy’s house becomes the center of most of their hang-outs; mostly because most of them are seventeen now, except for Percy and Annabeth, since Jason had just turned seventeen almost a week ago. Despite any magic being off-limits in the Blofis household (a rule that Percy, not Sally, instituted), his friends still Apparate over, which makes being able to see each other a lot easier.

For the first weeks of summer, everything seems fine.

Then, just before Annabeth’s birthday, Silena Beauregard takes her own life.

\---

Percy hears a lot of things about Silena. From Clarisse (and all other Gryffindors), he hears that she was a _hero_ , and the strongest of witches, especially after losing her boyfriend in the winter. From nearly everyone else, he hears that she was selfish and secretly a spy for Kronos.

He doesn’t know what to believe. He’d never met Silena, ever, but he’d heard how kind she was to others. A spy for _Kronos?_ There’s no way she could have been one. Unless Kronos was threatening her or someone she deeply cared about.

Then the _Prophet_ comes out with an official article and absolutely destroys her image. Percy takes great pride in burning that particular issue.

After that, he decides, he calls Silena a hero. He doesn’t care if she was a spy. He honors her, and he mourns her, because the war isn’t just about taking life from others anymore. After Silena, it includes taking life from yourself.

\---

“Happy birthday, Wise Girl,” says Percy.

They’re sitting on a blanket in Percy’s backyard, just the two of them. Like always, they’ll join the rest of their friends later, but for now, it’s just Percy and Annabeth, watching the clouds move and the Muggle cards whiz down the road. For a moment, Percy feels like he can pretend they’re Muggles without a war over their heads. He isn’t sure if he likes the feeling.

“I wish we could stay up here forever, you know?” Annabeth muses. “No war. No magic. No saving the world.”

Percy hums in agreement. It would be nice. “But it’s not who we are,” he says, a little unhappily, and his girlfriend sighs.

“Who even _are_ we, Percy?” she asks, shifting to look up at him. “We’re teenagers on the front lines of a war. We’re people born with _magic_ that can destroy an entire race. Have you ever considered the fact that we’re dangerous?”

He has. He _is._ Percy knows it. He’s known since fourth year, when he almost drowned Octavian for using a slur against Grover. He can almost feel the power, when he concentrates. Percy doesn’t like it. “We’re Wise Girl,” he says simply, “and Seaweed Brain. I don’t know about you, but that’s the only description of us I really care about.”

Annabeth kisses him, slow and sweet, a smile breaking the unhappy frown on her face. “I love you,” she says, completely sure of herself. It’s not the first time Percy’s heard her say it to him, but every time she says it, it feels like it is.

“I love you too.” Percy says, and she kisses him again. And it really takes a lot of effort to leave their moment together, when the time comes.

\---

Percy is really, really tired of getting nightmares the night before his birthday.

He’s up all day watching Estelle while his parents get things in order for Paul’s return to work and is out the moment his head hits the pillow. But almost immediately his dream takes him somewhere, flying over London, all the way until his dream-body stops at a place that he’s never seen before.

He enters.

It’s dark, but Percy can still make out the figure sulking in the corner of the room. It’s Ethan Nakamura; except this time, Percy sees, he’s got a patch over one of his eyes. Looking at it makes him a little nauseous. He’s about to turn away, but then he hears it.

“ _Are preparations beginning?”_

It’s Luke’s voice, but it isn’t. Percy’s in a dream, so everything sounds a little murky, but this sounds like nails on a chalkboard or the scraping of a knife. Ethan Nakamura straightens up. “Yes, my lord. We should be able to strike within the week.”

“ _Good_ ,” says Kronos. Percy sees the chair shift, and then a blond stands, his back to Percy. “ _They’ll never know what hit them. It will be a huge advance_ — _one that may ensure our victory_.”

“It will.” Ethan reassures him. “And when we succeed, we will bring the Wizarding World to its knees.”

The air changes. Ethan frowns, and Percy sees the shoulders of the blond stiffen. Then, very slowly, Kronos turns around, his eyes a mottled mixture of dark and gold.

Luke’s eyes had been blue. Percy can remember that much. What _happened?_

The scar on Kronos’s face is still there, but has faded into a thin, white strip from cheekbone to jaw. His mouth is twisted in a permanent scowl.

“My lord,” says Ethan warningly, and with a jolt Percy realizes that the one-eyed former Slytherin is staring right at _him_.

“ _Yes_.” Kronos turns fully, his mottled eyes fixing on Percy. Percy is a _dream_ figure, and he can’t be hurt—but he feels cold and frozen, like he’s really there, like he’s about to die within a dream. “ _One day, the battle will come, and I pray you are at the center of it_.” Kronos twirls his wand between his fingers. “ _Are you willing to kill, Percy Jackson? Are you willing to murder others to prevent my success?”_

Percy wants to scream. He can’t.

Then Kronos laughs, and it’s the worst sound Percy’s ever heard. It sounds like children screaming, bombs exploding, people dying. Then Kronos raises his wand, mouth open, ready to speak a spell that will probably blow Percy to bits right on the spot—

“Percy! Percy, wake up!”

\---

Percy bolts upright, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily as if he’d just been running for an hour.

“Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth’s voice says, softly, and he feels fingers brush his hair from his forehead. “Merlin, what were you _dreaming_ about?”

“Annabeth?” Percy breathes. “What—where—”

The air shimmers in front of him and Annabeth materializes, sitting right beside him on the bed, one hand on the side of his jaw and the other pushing his sweaty hair away. “You were thrashing like mad,” she says worriedly. “ _And_ you look like you just jumped in the Black Lake with your clothes on. What’s going on?”

“Nightmares.” Percy says, pushing himself up to a sitting position. “I get them. Sometimes. What are you doing here?”

“It’s midnight,” says Annabeth. The analog clock on Percy’s bedside table says the same thing. “I came to wish you a happy birthday.”

His heart pounds in his chest. “You did?”

She rolls her eyes. “ _Duh_ , Seaweed Brain. Now, are you going to tell me what you dreamt about or am I just going to sit here clueless?”

So Percy tells her. Mouth dry, he manages to get the words out. The threats. _Are you willing to kill, Percy Jackson?_

Is he?

Annabeth’s expression looks grim in the dull light of Percy’s bedroom. “So he’s planning something,” she says, dropping her hands from Percy’s face.

“Yeah.” Percy says, watching her expression.

She glances up at him. “Would you?” she asks. “Kill?”

“I don’t know, Annabeth.” Percy says honestly. “It...it depends, doesn’t it?”

“On what?”

“On who dies if I don’t.”

Annabeth sighs, twisting her baseball cap in her hands. “Well, this is a already a terrible seventeenth birthday for you.”

“You’ve got that right.” Percy sighs. “Last year was much better. Which reminds me,” he says, reaching for her hand. “Happy anniversary, Wise Girl.”

She smiles. “Happy anniversary, Seaweed Brain.”

Percy tugs her into him and kisses her gently, slipping an arm around her back. It strikes him, then, that it’s the middle of the night, and his girlfriend and him are alone in his room, the only awake ones in the house.

He blushes and hopes it’s too dark for Annabeth to see.

She only means to stay for an hour, she says, but they end up falling asleep together in Percy’s bed. And in the morning, when Sally makes pancakes, like she does for Percy’s birthday every year, she greets them without even a trace of surprise in her smile.

\---

“Seventh year,” says Jason, staring at the cards in his hand. “Can you believe we’re seventh years already?”

“No.” says Percy honestly. The normal tradition of gathering at Jason’s house for a last celebration before the summer ends is the one thing Percy really looks forward to. In fact, it’s the only reason he’s all right with summer ending, especially this year. The thirteen of them are in the living room with the large windows as the sun disappears and night comes, while Jason’s mother is away on a business weekend and his father is at work. But they can defend themselves, of course. “I feel a bit old, actually.”

“Speak for yourselves.” Nico says, reaching over to open a soda can. “Hey, Percy, when you graduate, can you make me Quidditch captain?”

Percy gives him a look. “I can’t choose the next captain, dude.”

“You can _try_.”

Percy groans. “I’ll see what I can do,” he says. “You’ll only be a fifth year, anyway. Not that you wouldn’t be a good captain,” he adds, when Nico glares at him, “but O.W.L.s kick your ass the entire year.”

“I can do it.” he argues.

Annabeth looks amused. “Percy,” she says, looking at her boyfriend over her hand of cards. “D’you have any threes?”

And then it happens.

The explosion shakes the house and causes all of the wizards in the room to shoot to their feet, cards forgotten. Percy’s heart has begun to beat rapidly in his chest. Is this it? He’s been antsy all summer, waiting for something like this to happen, preparing himself for it—and now it has, and here he is, standing in the middle of Jason’s living room with his wand outstretched.

“If you’re not seventeen, stay in here.” Jason commands, spinning on his friends. This takes out Nico, Will, and Hazel; if any of them are disappointed, they say nothing. The rest of them are all of age—with Percy being the youngest.

He just turned seventeen a few days ago. Is this going to be the last age he ever reaches? Is he going to die fighting amongst his friends?

“You too, Grover,” Percy adds as an afterthought, turning to face his best friend.

Grover looks angry. Frustrated. Percy isn’t sure that he’s seen anger on his friend’s face before. “I can help,” he argues. “I’m not _that_ crippled—”

“Grover.” Percy says, harsher this time. “I mean it, okay? Besides. Someone of age should stay in here just in case.” He leans in closer. “And you _know_ I know you can fight.”

Grover swallows. He lowers his wand and joins Nico, Hazel, and Will. A wave of relief swells in Percy’s chest. At least Grover will be safe.

A second flash of light causes another tremor. Percy wants to run outside, he really does, but he feels frozen to the ground. He knows if he steps outside he may not ever come back in.

But that’s war. And that’s _why_ he’s got to go outside, isn’t it?

Frantically, he reaches his hand out to grasp Annabeth’s. She turns to look at him, a myriad of emotions crossing her face, one by one—shock, confusion, realization, fear—and then Percy lets go.

Jason follows. Then Piper. Then Annabeth. Percy doesn’t pay attention after that. He focuses on the masked men outside, with their wands raised, aimed at the house Percy has just run out of. “ _Stupefy!”_ he shouts, aiming for one of the dark-clad men.

The backyard is suddenly filled with light. Different colors shoot out from different wands, an array of spells. There are nine of them, fighting, against maybe ten or fifteen men. Ten or fifteen wizards or witches from Kronos’s army. Ten or fifteen wizards out for blood.

Percy hasn’t even graduated from Hogwarts yet. He’s a year away from it. And here he stands, in maybe the first official battle of the war, fighting for his life and for his friend’s lives. His blood boils as he casts spell after spell, aiming at the barely-visible black-clad witches and wizards. He throws in protection spells, too, to keep himself and his friends safe. He feels untouchable, oddly, as he duels against a particularly tall wizard. The boiling of his blood turns into a buzzing feeling of exhilaration. He actually laughs, once, as he sends a spell at the man across from him.

And that’s when it hits him. He’s not saying the spells, not anymore. He’s just whipping his wand around and the spell he’s envisioning in his brain juts out from his wand. He remembers jinxing Octavian with the water charm, almost drowning the Slytherin with just a small bubble of water, and suddenly the man across from him is engulfed in water that encases his whole body. Even as he tries to thrash, kicking his legs, the water follows.

Kronos’s words echo in Percy’s brain. _Are you willing to kill, Percy Jackson? Are you willing to murder others to prevent my success?_

Percy doesn’t know if he can. He doesn’t know who this person is. Maybe, just maybe, if he can find some other way to prevent them from harming other people ever again…

Then he sees it.

A flash of green light. The first flash of green light of the battle, and it directs his attention immediately. He watches it as it soars through the air and whizzes just past Annabeth’s face.

_Just._

Rage starts to overtake Percy’s emotions. The Killing Curse sails straight past Annabeth and right into the window of Jason’s home, instantly dissipating as the window shatters. So the spell hits no one, but Annabeth’s expression is horrified as she flings a spell at the wizard across from her.

And before Percy can even think, he does, too. It’s a jet of purple light, and he’s not sure what spell he was thinking of, but the only thing on his mind is _rage_ and when both spells hit the man he drops to the ground.

Annabeth’s head whips around. Her hair has fallen from her ponytail and the lights from the spells reflect in her wide grey eyes. She meets Percy’s gaze across the field, and then her gaze flits to something off to the side.

The water bubble in front of Percy explodes, dousing him and a couple others. The body falls to the ground, mouth open, eyes wide, skin blue.

He’s dead. It numbly registers inside Percy’s brain that he’s the one who killed him.

He can hear Kronos’s laugh like nails on a chalkboard in his mind. He can feel the power coursing through his veins. Is _this_ what it feels like to be powerful?

This is a _war_ , Percy reminds himself. Death happens. How many people does Kronos have to kill? How many people has Kronos killed that Percy _knows?_ Bianca. Castor. Beckendorf. Silena. Percy thinks of his baby sister, almost two months old, and knows he’d kill to protect her. He’d kill to protect his friends. He _is_ killing to protect his friends.

He will. It’s the only way. It’s a _war._ Kill or be killed.

Percy yells, and the spell that is released from his wand sends three of Kronos’s men flying, landing feet away with sickening thuds. Percy’s blood pounds in his ears. His friends are still fighting, though it seems like Kronos’s side is losing, and that thought makes him feel a little better.

Zoё suddenly appears beside Percy, fighting a stockier wizard herself. She moves with grace, dodging every spell and getting a few in on her own. Percy sees that one of her spells knocks the mask off the man’s face, but Percy doesn’t recognize the wizard. If Zoё does, he doesn’t watch her expression enough to notice.

Jason, Piper and Leo are all fighting together as one unit against four wizards. Leo’s main element seems to be fire, Percy notices, and even though they’re on the opposite side of the field he can feel the heat of the flames against his face each time they appear. He sees Rachel and Frank, the oddest combo, back-to-back, fending off one wizard each. He sees Annabeth against a new wizard now, standing right next to Connor, shouting spell after spell.

These are his closest friends. These are the true friends he made by being in Slytherin. These are the friends he would fight to the death for. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.

He pushes forward. Continues to fight. He helps his friends until all of Kronos’s men are either lying unconscious or have Apparated away to save their own skins. It isn’t until the noise of battle has disappeared that he realizes how _tired_ he’s become. How sore his wand arm is. How weak his knees are. Percy almost collapses, _almost_ , but then Annabeth is there, slinging his arm around her shoulders and her own arm around his waist, holding him up as he grips his wand as tightly as he can.

“Jason,” says Piper, very quietly, “I think they were here to kill your dad.”

Piper’s right. Percy didn’t realize it until now. Jason’s dad is never around, due to his commitment to the Ministry, but Jason’s father _is_ the Minister for Magic, and killing the Minister is certainly a way to get an advantage in the war. Jason’s expression looks gaunt in the moonlight, but his blue eyes look murderous behind his glasses. The fury in his friend’s eyes makes Percy feel a little less uneasy on what just unfolded within the battle.

 _They’ll never know what hit them,_  Kronos had said. _One that will ensure our victory._

Percy wonders what the Dark Wizard thinks of his victory now.

“We need to send him a message.” Jason says grimly. “To warn him. And then we all need to get the hell out of here.”

“We shouldn’t send an owl.” Annabeth says immediately. At Jason’s bewilderment, she adds, “Owls are easy to intercept. If we’re to tell him where we’re going from here, it should be something that will only reveal itself in his presence. Like a Patronus-message.”

Annabeth has to dip her head to meet Percy’s lidded gaze. She nudges him with her free hand and asks, “Can you make one?”

“I’ll do it.” Leo says, before Percy can answer. The impish Ravenclaw has a wispy dragon shooting from his wand within seconds. He murmurs something to it, and then the dragon takes off, eventually disappearing into the air.

Percy shakes his head to clear it and stands up, finding a little strength left to do so. “Is everyone okay?” he demands, surveying his friends. Grover, Nico, Will, and Hazel emerge from the house, wands cautiously raised, to check the aftermath. “Anyone with injuries that need healing?”

“I think we’re mostly okay.” says Frank, whose nose is caked with glistening blood. Rachel has a bloody tear in her sleeve, but beyond that, everyone seems okay.

_Seems._

That’s when Zoё falls.

Percy catches her first, falling to his knees as her body weight takes him by surprise. The others who kneel beside them immediately are Connor and Zoe, expressions stricken with fear. She looks fine, she’s not bleeding— _how is she not okay if she isn’t bleeding_ —

“I don’t understand.” Annabeth says, as Piper leans over Zoё worriedly. “Zoё, you weren’t hit with any spells—I _saw_ you duck every spell that was thrown your way—”

Zoё grunts in response. She yanks her shirt down, just to show the skin visible right above her heart, and Percy’s own heart sinks so, _so_ low in his chest. There, placed right over where her heart is, is a bunch of cracks, inky and spreading with every breath she takes. “This is no spell,” she says, voice breathy and broken. “This—this is poison.”

“I don’t get it.” Percy says miserably. “This doesn’t make sense. How were you poisoned? _When?”_

Zoё looks up then, meeting his eyes. Hers flutter briefly before focusing, and Percy can tell the action is taking a lot of effort. “My father,” she says. “You saw the wizard I was dueling. That was him.”

“Your father?” Connor whispers.

“My father.” Zoё says again, letting go of her shirt. “I didn’t know until—until his mask flew off. He must have...slipped me the poison this morning. I...recognize this. We studied it in Potions. Do you remember?” Her clouded gaze meets Connor’s. She tries for a weak smile, but it just looks pained. “Slow death. Ag—agonizing pain.”

“You’re _not_ dying.” Connor says stubbornly. He takes one of her hands, and Nico takes the other. Percy pushes her sweaty hair from her forehead, his vision blurring with tears. He’s furious. Destroyed. Livid. Wrecked. _Heartbroken._ Not Zoё. Not any of them. Not _Zoё—_

“I am.” Zoё says, and her voice shatters. A tear slides from the corner of her eye. She gasps as Percy watches the poison lines creep up the side of her neck, the cavity of her chest, the curve of her arm, all crawling like spiders. The color in her face is fading. “I—I’m sorry. So sorry. I didn’t want—”

“Stop.” Percy says, and he can’t hold in his own tears anymore. One slides off the crook of his nose and splashes onto her forehead. “Don’t. Save your strength.”

But they can’t save her. They know it. Percy knows it. He stares down at her and thinks _why her, why not me, take me, it should be me_ —but Zoё only smiles humorlessly. “Killed by my father’s hand,” she says, half to herself, eyes flitting from Percy to Connor to Nico. Percy, Connor, Nico. Then up. Away from all of them, her glassy gaze focuses on the night sky, and the humorless smile shifts into a peaceful one. “The stars,” Zoё says weakly. “I—I can see the stars.”

Connor’s grip on Zoё’s hand is tight. “They’re beautiful,” he says brokenly. “Aren’t they?”

“Stars.” Zoё repeats faintly. Her eyes fix on the night sky.

She does not move again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'( im SORRY i miss her already
> 
> the whole thing with silena is - i purposely didn't actually say whether or not she was a spy, bc i want to leave it up to ur interpretation. i gave u what percy decides, not what i did/what the truth is, because i feel like that's more important to this story.
> 
> the next chapter might take a little longer to write. i might pull a JKR and split seventh year into 2 parts, but i guess we'll just have to see how it all unfolds :)
> 
> validation!!! <3 thank u for reading as always!


	8. seventh year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So he’s angry. So he wants Kronos dead. So what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY!! this took me WAY LONGER to write than i really wanted to. i struggled a lot with what to put in here, but i think i did it justice. please enjoy! <3
> 
> percy is an emo boy

 

Zoё is gone.

Percy holds her body in his arms and can’t believe it. Percy tells the Ministry what happened and can’t believe it. He goes to her funeral. Holds Annabeth tightly. Wakes up on the first of September. Gets on the Hogwarts Express. He can’t believe it. He refuses to.

He tells Paul and Sally to stay home. He doesn’t take them to the platform like he usually does. He hugs them goodbye at home and instead decides to take Piper up on the offer of a ride. Estelle coos at him from Sally’s arms and it makes him feel even worse.

Poisoned by her own father. _Dueled with_ her own father, moments before her death. There is a hole in Percy’s chest and it’s because one of his closest friends is gone. He thinks of first year, when he’d met her at the feast. He didn’t know she’d be so important to him, back then. He didn’t know she would die before she could start her last year at Hogwarts. He didn’t know he’d feel so numb inside after it happens.

It’s not his fault. He knows that. But he can’t help thinking otherwise. Bianca and Zoё have taken their places in the stars, safe from harm, safe from the war. Bianca was the first. Zoё, Percy decides, will be the _last._

Professor Hestia makes another speech about safety and mourning. No more Hogsmeade trips. Quidditch is still allowed, but a professor must be present. Curfew has been moved to nine in the evening. Percy supposes this should make him feel better, but it only makes him feel worse. The only students killed recently have not been killed here.

He starts, briefly, to see what Luke meant when he’d said Hogwarts was a joke. The safety measures mean nothing. Luke has not been able to get into the castle and it seems like that isn’t his main goal anyway.

Percy feels angry. It’s numbing, at certain moments, the amount of bitterness he feels. Zoё’s last words echo in his brain whenever his attention isn’t directed at anything, and his brain replays the moment he saw the light leave her eyes.

Zoё was one of his first and closest friends. Her death leaves Percy wrecked. It doesn’t help that every time he looks at someone he’s close to, he imagines them in his arms, on the night they lost Zoё, glassy eyes and pale skin, taking their place in the stars.

It’s not until he’s lying in bed, after the feast, staring up at the ceiling, that he realizes he could see the Thestrals on the ride up.

Classes don’t mean that much to Percy anymore. He tries to focus, at first, but any attempt to really try goes out the window on the first day of Potions, when Professor D doesn’t berate Percy and instead stares at him with a hint of pity. Percy doesn’t want _anyone’s_ pity. He wants Kronos to stand right in front of him so Percy inflict the pain on him that the Dark Wizard has caused. He wants to drown him, to suffocate him, to give him a slow, agonizing death, like the one Zoё’s father inflicted on his own _daughter_ —

Percy is gripping the quill in his hand so hard that he snaps it in half in the middle of a lesson. Professor Chiron gives him an inquisitive look, but Percy just mumbles an apology and digs around his bag for another one.

So he’s angry. So he wants Kronos dead. So what?

Connor isn’t doing great, either. Connor looks like a wreck. He doesn’t sleep, Percy knows, and he barely eats during meals. It’s not until now that Percy realizes how close Zoё and Connor must have been. They must have been best friends, like Percy and Grover. They could have been like Percy and Annabeth, but Percy doesn’t know, and he will never ask. He won’t put Connor through that.

Two weeks into the school year is when Annabeth starts sneaking into the Slytherin seventh year boys’ dormitory. She comes first, whispering about nightmares, but then it becomes a regular thing. Percy knows the feeling. He sleeps better with her there, and she never misses classes or breakfast because of it. They’re _together_. With everything that’s happened, the world could fall apart, but as long as he’s with Annabeth, he could get by. He could manage.

One of the nights, as she’s sleeping, an arm across his chest and her face in his neck, he thinks about her in place of Zoё, grey eyes glassing over, cold fingers and a lifeless expression, and he cries.

\---

Their first Quidditch practice of the year is interesting, to say the least. Jake Mason’s cousin Michael Yew takes Zoё’s spot as a Chaser, and he’s not as good, but he’ll do. Professor Dionysus sits in the teacher section to supervise. He calls Percy ‘Peter Johnson’ at least twice, so that’s a good sign—it means things are ebbing back to normal. But Zoё is still gone, and Percy is angry, but he is _trying_. If he lets the anger consume his life, he’ll get nowhere.

He runs a couple drills that Michael Yew passes easily and thinks maybe it won’t be terrible. Maybe they’ll be okay, as a team. Octavian’s space is filled by Miranda Gardiner, who is definitely better than Octavian had been. So he doesn’t have to worry much about her. Percy does, however, pay more attention to Nico during practice. After this year, Nico will lose half the team. He won’t be the oldest, because Jake Mason will be there for one more year, but Jake Mason doesn’t really seem like captain material to Percy. If it had been up to Percy, really, Jake Mason probably wouldn’t even be on the team.

He hopes Professor Hestia or whoever officially choses Quidditch captains knows this. He wonders if putting in a good word might actually help.

That thought, however, is interrupted by another one: the question of whether or not Hogwarts will still be around next year.

Percy kinda hates it when pessimism takes over. Really, he does.

Nico catches the Snitch five minutes into the drill and waves it triumphantly over his head, his gaze directed at Percy. Connor, who is still visibly distraught but is clearly improving while playing Quidditch, hits one of his bludgers towards Nico and sends the scrawny fourth year falling off his broom. Reyna is the one who catches him, and then the entire team fizzles into laughter, watching as Nico struggles to readjust his Quidditch robes.

\---

“I loved her,” Connor says, on a night that Annabeth does not come to the Slytherin dormitory. Percy’s curtains are wide open, and he’s awake, which is why he suspects Connor actually says it. Percy also doesn’t have to ask to know who he’s talking about. “But not like that,” he adds hastily, his gaze drifting from the wall to Percy. “Not like she could be...more than a friend. She was like a sister.”

“I loved her too.” Percy says honestly.

“And she loved us.” Connor agrees. “Definitely. And Nico, too. And we... _Merlin_ , Percy, we failed her. We let her die.”

“We didn’t let her die.”

“Yeah, we did.”

“We couldn’t have prevented it.” Percy says, shifting on his bed. Connor glances away. “Come on. You _know_ that. And you know Zoё would not have wanted us to think that we could have. Even she didn’t know her dad was on Kronos’s side.”

Connor twists his hands into the quilt on his four-poster bed, finding Percy’s gaze with eyes tired and sad. “She didn’t deserve to die, Percy.”

“We’re going to defeat Kronos.” Percy promises. “You, me. The rest of our friends. And we’ll do it for Zoё. And...and it can’t bring her back, but...we can do what she died fighting for.”

But Connor still looks hopeless. “You’re still optimistic?” he asks, almost disbelievingly. “That we’ll win?”

“We have to.” Percy says, and he means it. He means it for Zoё. For Bianca. For Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf. He means it for the ones who have died whose names he doesn’t know. He means it for all of his friends, for his family, for _their_ families; for the entire Wizarding World. He doesn’t care if there’s a prophecy. In this moment, Percy makes a choice. He’ll go down fighting. He’ll face Kronos in the end, and it’ll be one or the other. Whatever the outcome. “We will.”

Connor exhales, slowly, and then lies down in his bed, drawing the covers over himself. The lights turn off without waiting for Percy to lie down as well, and that’s the end of it. But Percy feels like a small weight has been lifted from his chest, and maybe from Connor, and Percy thinks they both sleep without nightmares that night.

\---

His mum, baby Estelle, and Paul have left the country on vacation, to stay with some of Paul’s relatives. Sally doesn’t disclose the location. She’s being cautious, Percy knows, in case the owl were to get intercepted on its way to the castle, but it still stings. Just a little bit. But as long as they’re safe.

As long as there’s this war.

N.E.W.T.s are another thing that make their way into Percy’s life just around the end of October. They won’t happen until May, or June, but they’re going to determine what Percy is for the rest of his life. Assuming he makes it there.

Professor Chiron makes it easy for him.

“I thought my last meeting was supposed to be with my head of house, sir,” says Percy, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

Chiron’s eyes twinkle behind his glasses. “Oh, it is. This isn’t your last meeting, Mr. Jackson.”

“Uh...then what is it?”

“As head of Ravenclaw house, you understand I can come to be quite close with a few of my students.”

Percy blinks. “Yes, sir.”

“And one of those students is rather fond of you.”

 _Annabeth._ Despite himself, Percy blushes. This only seems to make Professor Chiron even more amused. “Uh...yes, sir. I would hope so.”

“It’s my understanding that you are considering going into teaching.” Chiron folds his hands. “I just believe I should inform you that, should you choose to do this, you may find that a job opportunity would be readily available.”

“You—” says Percy, his mouth suddenly going dry. “Professor, what do you mean by that?”

“We can’t let rumors plague the castle, can we?” Chiron smiles fractionally. “Although I highly doubt you’re the type to spread rumors. Nothing has been set in stone, yet, so I have no concrete information to give you.”

Percy spreads his hands over his thighs. “Do you think I would be a good teacher, Professor?”

“I don’t think my opinion matters, Percy.” Chiron points out. “I think the only answer you need to that question is your own.” There’s a glint in Chiron’s eye, as there always is, like he knows something that the rest of the world doesn’t.

“Right.” Percy says, clearing his throat. “Is there anything else?”

“One more thing.” Suddenly, Chiron’s expression changes, and the faraway look in his eyes is something Percy has never seen. “We teach students here for seven years, Percy. We watch them grow up. We think we know what they’re going to be once they leave, and you can only imagine what we feel when the children we educated turn out...well, turn out to be what we least expected.”

 _Luke_. Percy doesn’t have to ask to know exactly who Professor Chiron is speaking about. “Of course, Professor,” he says, biting the inside of his cheek.

“I’ve watched you grow, too, don’t forget.” Chiron muses. “And I think I know the kind of man you’re going to be when you leave Hogwarts. I pray that I’m not wrong.”

“I’m not Luke.” Percy blurts, before he can stop himself. Genuine surprise passes Chiron’s face. “I’m not, sir. I would never.”

“Of course not.” Chiron says, after a pause, shaking his head. His tail flicks anxiously behind him. “That’s not what I was trying to say. Just—good luck, Percy. For the future. We never know what the future will bring. It’s best to try and be prepared.”

When Percy leaves Chiron’s office, feeling slightly worse than when he entered, Annabeth is leaning against the wall, her hair tied messily back into a ponytail. She looks up from her parchment when Percy reaches her, and he can tell she’s trying to play it casual when she asks, “So? What did he want?”

Percy’s stomach churns. Suddenly, lunch in the Great Hall feels less than appetizing. _I’m not Luke_ , he repeats to himself, and he has a feeling it’s going to become his new mantra whether he likes it or not.

“Percy?” Annabeth says, waving her hand in front of his face. Her neutral expression has been replaced with worry: downturned lips, eyebrows pinching together, grey eyes shining with concern. “What? Are you okay?”

“I’m—I’m fine.” Percy says, wondering if that’s really the truth. Annabeth opens her mouth to respond, but she doesn’t get there, because Percy grabs her by the waist and kisses her soundly on the mouth.

She sighs, just a little bit. It kind of melts Percy’s heart. He loves her, he knows, with his entire being; there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Annabeth Chase, and even though he’s only seventeen and in the middle of a war and undecided in his career path, he knows one thing: he wants to be by her side, always.

“I love you, Wise Girl.” Percy says, once he’s pulled away. He likes the way it sounds. He likes the way Annabeth looks at him.

“Took you long enough.” Annabeth says, which is definitely _not_ the response Percy was expecting (or hoping for). When he stares at her, open-mouthed, she just laughs, looping her arm around his waist as she steers him toward the Great Hall. “Of _course_ I love you too, Seaweed Brain.”

Oh, yeah, he’s definitely in love.

\---

Christmas is a painfully easy decision to make. Percy stays. Annabeth’s name joins his instantly. Grover, Nico, Jason, Piper, Leo. Frank, Hazel. Connor, Will, Rachel. This Christmas hosts the largest amount of Hogwarts students that the castle has seen in years. Percy isn’t that surprised.

He plays Wizard’s Chess with Grover and spends nights in the Room of Requirement with his friends. This year, Christmas is hot chocolate, smuggled treats from Honeydukes and Three Broomsticks, late-night kitchen trips, and fear. Percy can’t get the war out of his head no matter how hard he tries. Not even when Piper walks into the Room of Requirement with a bottle of Firewhiskey smuggled under her sweater. Not even when Annabeth kisses him.

On Christmas day, along with gifts from his friends, Percy receives a letter with no name. He knows, though, when he opens the envelope and sees the words in blue ink and curly handwriting. It comes with a palm-sized sand dollar, like the ones Percy has only ever seen on the beach, like where his mum and dad met eighteen years ago.

Two words, written in his father’s handwriting:

_Brace Yourself._

\---

“This is...oddly ambiguous.” Annabeth says, frowning at the parchment.

“And yet I know exactly what it means.” Percy sighs. Annabeth sets it down on the bed between them, still frowning. “As if I needed another reminder of what’s to come.”

“They look like words of encouragement.”

“They look like a death sentence.”

Annabeth gives him one of her signature looks. “Don’t say that,” she chides, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. “We don’t even know that he’s really talking about the war.”

“We’ve heard it too many times.” Percy runs his hand through his hair. “It’s definitely the war. We’re definitely a part of it. We might as well face it head on.”

She studies him for a moment, leaning back on her hands. “You’re different,” she decides.

He raises an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing, Wise Girl?”

“It’s good, I think.”

“You don’t sound very certain.”

“I _mean_ ,” says Annabeth, leaning forward to place her hand on his face, “that you’re more sure of yourself. Of _us_. Of your power. You’re embracing who you are, Seaweed Brain. I think that’s important. Mostly because I’ve seen it all along.”

Percy stares at her. Her eyes are shining, her hand warm against his cheek, and she grins, putting her free hand on the other side of his face.

“You’re too good to me.” Percy decides.

Annabeth kisses him. “Don’t you forget it,” she teases.

“You two are gross.” Connor groans from his bed.

If Percy was being entirely honest, he’d completely forgotten that Connor was there. “Sorry, mate,” Percy answers. In response, his friend groans again.

“I’m not.” Annabeth says simply, turning on Percy’s bed to smile innocently at the seventh year. “If you’re so jealous, Connor, why don’t _you_ find someone yourself?”

“No one appreciates the wonderfulness that is me, Chase.” Connor says dramatically. “No one _attractive_ , anyway. I’ve yet to find someone at this school who is my type.”

“It’s me, isn’t it?” Percy teases, throwing his arm around Annabeth’s shoulders and leaning forward. “But I’m taken. Our love story is nothing but a tragedy.”

Connor sighs. “I tried so hard to hide my feelings for you. I can’t believe you figured it out. You’re smarter than you look, Jackson. You’ll always be the one that got away.”

“We’ll always have the Slytherin dormitories.” Percy muses, unable to keep the grin off his face.

“Merlin, I hate you.” Connor says, chucking a pillow at the two, but he laughs as he does it. The note from Percy’s father gets knocked to the floor, discarded, as the thoughts of the war slip from Percy’s mind.

\---

“You’re _dead,_ Chase.”

Annabeth smiles innocently as she plucks a piece of toast from Percy’s breakfast plate. “Am I, Jackson?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.

“Oh, yeah.” Percy glares at her. “The minute they throw that Quaffle up in the air, you’re going to _lose_ , Wise Girl. Slytherin is going to ground your Quidditch team into the _dirt_.”

“Whoa, mate,” says Connor from Percy’s side, watching both of them with an open mouth. “She’s still your girlfriend.”

“Not today she isn’t.” Percy says dismissively. Annabeth quirks an eyebrow. “Although, don’t kiss anybody else. I love you so much.”

“No promises.” Annabeth teases, taking a bite of Percy’s piece of toast. “I love you too.”

“Give me my toast back.” he grabs it from her fingers. “Don’t you have your own table? With your own food?”

“Yours is better.” she muses. “Besides, Rachel finished the strawberry jam and eggs.”

Percy makes a face. “I hope she didn’t combine them.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.” Annabeth shrugs. “Rachel’s an odd one.”

“I’m going to be sick.” Connor announces.

“Good.” Annabeth grins at him. “One down for the Slytherin Quidditch team.”

“Nice try, Chase.” Percy leans over and kisses her quick. “Get out of here, enemy.”

“With pleasure.” Annabeth leans over and snatches the piece of toast back from him and walks away in her blue Quidditch robes, flashing a sly grin over her shoulder.

February becomes Percy’s favorite month rather quickly and it’s all because of the first Quidditch match of the term, which also happens to be the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match. It also happens to be the last Ravenclaw-Slytherin match that Percy will ever play on Hogwarts grounds. He’s not sure how he feels about that, but he knows he’s ready to kick the Ravenclaw team’s ass and bring another win for his team. It helps that he might be beating Annabeth, too, of course.

“So do we need to talk strategy again?” Connor asks, as he and Nico accompany Percy to the Quidditch pitch. “Because Ravenclaw _is_ pretty good this year. I know we already discussed it, but maybe we should shake things up.”

“Great suggestion to be making about ten minutes before the game, Con,” says Percy dryly. “I think we’ll be okay. Ravenclaw’s good, sure, but we’re better.”

“Are you sure about that?” Nico says worriedly.

Percy throws his head back and groans. The three players make their way into the Slytherin locker room, where the rest of the team is already waiting. “I have the most pessimistic friends in the world,” he complains, and Connor punches his shoulder in response.

He _is_ a little nervous, though. Mostly because Annabeth will hold this over his head for the rest of their lives if she wins. Granted, Percy will do the same thing if— _when_ he wins, but Annabeth’s scarier than he is. He’d never admit it, but she definitely is.

“All right, team.” Percy grabs his broom and grips it tightly. “Huddle up. The minute the whistle blows, we’re giving it one-hundred percent, right? If we beat Ravenclaw, we’re just one step closer to winning the House Cup. This is the last year for a lot of us. So we’re _definitely_ going to win that House Cup, right?”

There are murmurs of agreement all around the huddle. “We’re doing this for Slytherin.” Percy says. “For the seventh-years on this team.” he meets Connor’s eyes. “For Zoё.”

“You _know_ she’d kick our asses if we lost this.” Nico says in agreement. “And wherever she is, she might try to come back and haunt us if we _do_ lose that.”

“Don’t give her any ideas.” Connor warns.

Percy smiles slightly. “Come on. Let’s get out there.”

\---

Percy’s incredibly grateful to have a girlfriend who loves Quidditch as much as he does. Of course, he also hates it.

Annabeth Chase doesn’t have the latest model of broomstick, but her Cleansweep moves faster than almost anyone else on the pitch. Percy’s not sure how she does it. To his knowledge, she only practices when they play at Jason’s over the summer, and then she doesn’t even use her own broom. Of course, he knows she’s talented, but he barely notices when the Quaffle go from Jake Mason to Annabeth and is kind of shocked to realize that Ravenclaw quickly gains thirty points on them.

“Catch up, Seaweed Brain!” Annabeth calls, soaring over Percy’s head.

“I’ll knock you off your broom, Chase!” Percy shouts back.

“Lover’s quarrel.” Rachel says cheerfully from the commentator’s podium. “I seem to recall one fateful Slytherin-Ravenclaw Quidditch game three years ago where Jackson knocked Annabeth off her broom. Maybe we’ll see that again. Might be interesting.”

Percy winks toward Rachel and swings his bat as a Bludger whizzes near him. It goes swinging toward Will Solace, who dodges it with impressive skill and somehow still manages to keep the Quaffle. Nico hovers above them all, keeping his eyes peeled for the Snitch. The odds are that if Nico catches the snitch, Slytherin will win. As long as Ravenclaw doesn’t lead with fifteen goals to Slytherin having none. Which Percy doesn’t intend to let happen.

“Eyes up!” Connor shouts, swinging a Bludger Percy’s way. Percy maneuvers it to the side, not bothering to pay attention where it goes. Percy’s attention is on Annabeth, how she’s staying close to Jake’s side, ready to block the Slytherin Chaser at any moment, or ready to catch the Quaffle from Will Solace, should he choose to throw it. Reyna is positioned in the middle of the three rings, ready to dive to either side if need be.

Will Solace throws the Quaffle right towards Annabeth, just as Percy suspected. At the same moment, Connor hits a Bludger in their direction.

The tiny black ball is fast, but not fast enough. Annabeth catches the Quaffle and dives out of the way. Will, unfortunately, hadn’t been in the Bludger’s line anyway. Both Ravenclaw Chasers fly away.

Jake Mason, like Percy had told him to, stays closer to the ground, below the rest of the players. Annabeth is across the field, but that isn’t a problem; she dodges the other Slytherin team players with the Quaffle tucked under her arm and is about to throw it through the left hoop when Reyna leans in front of her.

Then, out of nowhere, Annabeth tosses the Quaffle to her direct right.

Percy watches. Will Solace comes up out of bloody nowhere and touches the Quaffle only long enough to propel it through the right hoop. Jake Mason comes up seconds later, embarrassed, having been four seconds too slow.

“You’re predictable, Jackson.” Annabeth taunts, while most of the players take a breather.

Will has the fastest broom on the Ravenclaw team. Jake, regrettably, has the slowest. Annabeth knew this.

 _Percy mentioned this_ to her. He remembers complaining about it after one particularly nasty Quidditch practice in the rain.

“You’re going _down_ , Annabeth.” Percy says, and he means it. Annabeth’s smile says that she’s unconvinced.

They break when the Quaffle is thrown back into play. Percy motions to Connor, who thankfully understands what Percy’s trying to say without Percy having to verbally say anything.

“And Chaser Jake Mason has the Quaffle—oh, no!” Rachel says, leaning closer to the microphone. Her voice, as a result, gets louder. “Chase is on his tail! If he doesn’t—and Chase steals the Quaffle back for Ravenclaw! No sign of the Snitch, yet, which means either it’s hiding or both Seekers are really horrible…”

“Percy!” Connor shouts above the roar of the crowd. Percy looks up to see a Bludger heading straight toward him. He flies back to catch it at a better angle and swings his bat with a sickening _crack!_ The Bludger flies right toward its intended target. Er, maybe a little _too_ well.

Annabeth sees it before any of her teammates has a chance to warn her. She pulls back on her broom handle, coming to a stop in the air, as the Bludger goes past right where her head was moments ago. Okay, so maybe Percy’s aim was a little off. In Annabeth’s surprise, Miranda Gardiner flies right in front of her and steals the Quaffle right from her hands.

“Oh! Good play by Slytherin.” Rachel compliments. “I mean, if you call Percy Jackson nearly bashing his girlfriend’s head in. Miranda Gardiner with the Quaffle. If she makes this score, it’ll be ten to forty, Ravenclaw.”

Miranda throws the Quaffle right into the center ring and scores.

“Ten to forty, Ravenclaw!” Rachel cheers.

“All’s fair in Quidditch.” Percy says, holding his hands up when Annabeth turns her steely glare on him. “Love you, Wise Girl.”

“You’re so _dead_.” Annabeth snarls.

Percy grins. “You’re really hot when you’re angry, you know?”

Connor laughs loudly. “Someone’s sleeping alone tonight.”

“Shut up, Stoll.”

To his surprise, Percy and Annabeth say that at the exact same time. This only makes Connor laugh harder as he flies away on his broom.

It’s a back and forth for what feels like eternity. The score is tied fifty to fifty and Percy’s arms are tired from swinging his bat. Annabeth’s hair has come loose from her ponytail, framing her face. Other than the frustration and anger on her face, she still looks like a princess.

“It might rain soon.” Rachel says thoughtfully from the podium. “If this continues into the rain, the Snitch will be even harder to find. Meanwhile, we’ve been playing a game of pass-the-Quaffle for the past...oh, twenty minutes? Someone _please_ throw the stupid thing somewhere other than at someone.”

“Miss Dare,” says Chiron kindly from beside her.

“Right. Sorry. The Quaffle’s not stupid.” the redhead sighs. “Anyway— _the Snitch has been spotted!_ ”

Percy looks up. Nico is diving for the Snitch, inches behind Malcolm Warner, the Seeker for Ravenclaw. They’re going to lose. Percy’s heart sinks. He can see Annabeth laughing at him. Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if Zoё’s ghost actually came back to haunt them for this.

They’re really going to lose.

And then a miracle happens.

Nico rams his broom into Malcolm in a move that Percy’s not really sure even counts as legal. Malcolm doesn’t go very far, but it’s just enough of a lead that Nico can stretch just a little bit further and close his pale fingers around the glittering Snitch.

“That ends the game!” Rachel exclaims. She has to scream, Percy notices, because the entire student section has erupted in either cheers or boos. “Slytherin wins, two-hundred to fifty!”

Connor tackles Percy and almost sends him toppling off his broom. Connor hooks his arm around Percy’s neck and cheers, a genuine smile taking over his face as he fist-pumps the air with his free hand. “We did it!” he yells, as the rest of the team congregates mid-air in the center of the pitch. “Bloody _hell_ , we won the match!”

“You sound surprised.” Nico says grumpily, whose head is under Reyna’s arm. The Snitch’s wings are still fluttering between his fingers.

“No, no—I had complete faith in you, Nico.” Connor assures him.

Nico rolls his eyes. "You're full of shit, Stoll."

Connor's smile doesn't slip from his face. "That I am."

\---

Annabeth is waiting on the pitch when Percy touches down. Her broom is gone, probably back in the locker room courtesy of Will, and her hair is back in its usual ponytail. “Look at that,” she says, tilting her chin up as Percy approaches. “You won, fair and square.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Percy muses, placing his broom behind his head. He loops both his arms over it and grins at her. “If you want to get technical, Nico did.”

“Nico’s not team captain.” Annabeth points out.

“He wants to be.”

She shrugs. “I suppose.”

“So…” says Percy, raising his eyebrows at her. “Are you going to punch me or kiss me?”

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I love that you can’t figure out the answer on your own.”

“What can I say? You intimidate me, Chase.”

Annabeth steps forward and slips her arms around his waist. “Don’t forget it, Jackson.”

He kisses her, unhinging an arm from around his broom to wrap it around his girlfriend. “I love you, Wise Girl.”

“Love you too, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth smiles. “Now go hit the showers. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You kidding?” Percy steps away from her, in the direction where the rest of his team has disappeared into the locker room. “You’re coming to the celebration with me. I’ll be out in twenty.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You want a sore loser at your winning party?”

“I want my _girlfriend_ at my winning party.” Percy corrects. Then he winks and disappears into the showers before he can see her expression.

\---

Percy takes the next few months to focus on studies. He learns the real reason why the N.E.W.T.s are labelled _Nastily Exhausting_ , and spends most of his nights sleeping for only a few hours at a time. On the bright side, he’s so busy that he doesn’t have much time to think about anything other than that. Unfortunately, this also costs them their last Quidditch game of the year against Hufflepuff.

“See, it doesn’t _matter_ , though,” says Percy, uncorking the cap on his Butterbeer. “Because Hufflepuff lost to Gryffindor, and they only beat us by seventy, so we’re still ahead of them. Now, if Gryffindor beats Ravenclaw, we’re _screwed_ , but if Ravenclaw beats Gryffindor by less than one-fifty, then we win the House Cup.”

“You know the company you’re discussing this with?” Annabeth clarifies, raising an eyebrow at him. “Me, Will, Jason, Frank—also known as the best players on our respective teams?”

“Oh, good to know she’s modest.” Connor mutters to Percy.

“Yeah, I’d rather see Ravenclaw get the House Cup than Slytherin.” Jason agrees.

Percy gapes at him. “Ouch, dude.”

Jason shrugs.

\---

When it comes down to it, though, Annabeth becomes so competitive and obsessed with beating Gryffindor that she forgets to make sure they’re ahead of Gryffindor when Malcolm Warner catches the Snitch.

Ravenclaw beats Gryffindor by ninety points. Connor cries for five minutes. Percy really wishes he’d had a camera on hand.

\---

The good times don’t last forever.

Three days after Ravenclaw beats Gryffindor and secures Slytherin for the House Cup, when night falls, Percy sits on the top of the astronomy tower with a blanket and pastries nicked from the kitchens. Annabeth was in the library when he’d left her, but she had promised to come as soon as she was finished studying for the night.

Mrs. O’Leary curls up on the edge of the blanket, licking her own tail as she begins what Percy recognizes as her bedtime routine. Percy twiddles his thumbs as he sits beside his cat and tries very hard not to let his eyelids start drooping. It’s late, yeah, but this is probably the last time he will be able to spend a night like this here with his girlfriend. They’re  _ graduating _ soon. Very soon. And that might mean Percy never steps foot inside Hogwarts again.

Then the door creaks.

In the dim light of the moon, Annabeth becomes visible, holding her navy baseball cap in one hand. “Hey,” she whispers, coming over to sit beside him. She plants a kiss on his cheek and sets her cap beside Mrs. O’Leary

Percy rubs his face. “Mhmm.” He hands her a muffin and bites into his own, hoping the food will wake him up just a bit. His sleep schedule has been messed up since Easter, with studying and late nights and nightmares. Percy’s not sure if it’ll ever get back to normal.

“Percy,” says Annabeth, a few minutes later. She picks at the remains of her muffin, then crumples the wrapper in her hand and squeezes it tight. “I was thinking—”

She stops talking. Percy frowns at her, but she’s not looking at him anymore. She’s staring just past him, in the direction of the Forbidden Forest, eyes widening in horror with every passing second. Before Percy can say her name, Annabeth shoots to her feet, the wrapper falling from her hands.

Percy stands up. All traces of fatigue are gone as he turns, dreading what he thinks he's going to see, a pit forming tightly in his stomach. 

The Forbidden Forest is ablaze. Percy’s too far away to make sure, but he can almost see a gathering of people at the edge of the forest, wands raised, ready to move at any given moment. At the center of it all, there is one man standing alone; one man whose golden eyes are bright enough to see even from the top of the astronomy tower.

The raised wands emit a silver light into the air. Percy’s eyes follow it. His stomach drops the minute he sees it.

An hourglass, floating in the air, straight up, with all of the sand in the bottom curve. “It’s a message.” Percy says hoarsely. Annabeth’s fingers close around his hand. Mrs. O’Leary hisses at Percy’s ankles, like she knows the exact amount of danger they’re in. “Time’s up. Kronos is here.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is gonna be CRAZY folks. i haven't started it yet. (it's actually almost 3:30 a.m. where i live and i need SLEEP but i also owed u guys this chapter lmao) stay tuned. hopefully it won't take me another 2 weeks to upload the next one!!!
> 
> validate me even tho i left u all hanging :)))))


	9. the final battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last body falls to the ground as the sun rises over the Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is silent to mourn for the dead, to recover the injured, to revel in its well-earned victory. To attempt to rebuild the school after the damage done. It will take time to get over what happens, but for now, they can look to the sky with a breath of relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are so many things i want to say.
> 
> first, i apologize for taking over a month to get back to you guys with this chapter. this chapter took quite a lot out of me; it's approximately 9213 words, and i've been working on it for approximately a month. there are so many things that happen in this chapter. please read carefully.
> 
> this is the most important chapter of the entire story. there are still two chapters left, so i'll save the large sappy note until the end.
> 
> please enjoy.

 

“Go.” Percy says, his mouth dry. His heart is pounding. Annabeth’s fingers are pressed tightly against his, and his heart wrenches when he pulls away from her, but he does, because he _has to_. “Put your hat on. Find Professor Hestia. If she doesn’t know this is happening—”

“I’m not leaving you, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth makes a reach for his hand, glaring at him, but Percy steps back from her. He grabs his wand from beside Mrs. O’Leary and shakes his head.

“You have to. We have to tell everyone in the castle about this, or we don’t stand a chance.”

Annabeth stares at him with an unreadable expression. He hates it. He hates that even now, when they could both be dead by tomorrow, he can’t read what she’s thinking. “Fine,” she says, finally. She bends down and picks Mrs. O’Leary up from the blanket and cradles the black cat in her arms, leaning up to kiss Percy quickly. “I love you.”

She says it like it’s the last thing she’ll ever say to him.

“I love you too,” says Percy hoarsely. He picks up her hat from the ground and puts it on her head, making her invisible. Then he raises his wand.

His Patronus takes form mid-air and immediately crouches into a defensive position. Percy can see it: the fox’s lips are drawn back in a snarl, its ears flattened, tail lowered. Then it leaps off into the air, disappearing as it travels over the castle.

Percy looks back at the Forbidden Forest and then flees from the top of the tower.

\---

The castle is in chaos when he reaches the bottom. Either Annabeth did her job incredibly well, or more people had seen the fire than Percy expected. There are students half-dressed in robes or pyjamas, brandishing wands, running around with socks or fuzzy slippers or one shoe on their feet. If they weren’t about to die, Percy would probably laugh.

“Percy!” Grover materializes in the crowd, hobbling along with his crutches. His wand is sandwiched between the palm of his hand and the handle of his crutch. “Did you see?”

“I saw.” Percy says grimly. He looks at his best friend and tries not to feel the pity pooling in his stomach. He didn’t let Grover fight at Jason’s over the summer. He doesn’t really feel like letting Grover fight now.

“Don’t.” Grover says quietly. Grover knows exactly what Percy’s thinking. He kind of has a habit of doing that. “I’m going out there. I can fight as well as most students here. Just because I’m crippled—”

“That’s not why I don’t want you out there.” Percy cuts him off. “Merlin’s _beard_ , Grover, do you really think I want any of you out there? If it were up to me, I’d offer myself up to go out there alone.”

“And nobody here is going to let you do that.” Grover snaps back. He swings one crutch over to the other side and drops both of them on the floor. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Percy stares at him. “Likewise.”

Then, like a miracle, Grover walks away without his crutches. Percy watches him wobble, and sees that he has to grip Hazel’s shoulder at one instance, but Grover walking without his crutches makes a wave of pride swell up in Percy’s chest. But it also makes him angry. And afraid. And he’s gripping his wand so hard that he’s afraid he’s going to snap it in two.

How long have they been preparing for this? Expecting it? Dreading it? Too long. Maybe not long enough.

Time feels frozen. With every minute, Percy knows that Kronos and his army are nearing the castle, probably setting everything in their path ablaze. With every minute, there are people in this room that get closer to their deaths. People will die. Bianca’s face flashes in Percy’s mind. Charlie Beckendorf. Silena Beauregard. Zoё. How many more of his friends will he have to say goodbye to? How many more people will Kronos take from Percy before this ends, once and for all?

The answer is none. _Percy’s_ answer is none. He’ll rip Kronos apart with his bare hands if he has to. He doesn’t care what happens to him. As long as his friends are safe.

Someone places their hand on Percy’s shoulder. He turns. Their headmistress is staring at him with a guarded expression. She’s dressed in robes, but Percy wonders if she took the time to change first. He wonders if Annabeth got to her first. “Percy,” she says, gripping his shoulder. “Are you ready?”

“No.” Percy says honestly, before he can even think about lying.

Hestia smiles dryly. “Good,” she says. “That’s the answer I was hoping for.”

Then the castle goes quiet.

It’s like the calm before the storm, Percy realizes. Some students have fled to the dungeons, where they think they’ll be safe. Others have started to approach the exits of the castle, trying to muster all the bravery they can. Percy sees Jason, Piper, and Leo at the front of it, wands outstretched, dangerous expressions on their faces. They look ready to kill. Percy knows they’ll do it.

Then Kronos’s voice echoes throughout the halls.

“ _I’ve come with a proposition_ ,” hisses the Dark Wizard, sounding like nails on a chalkboard, or the scraping of a knife. The sound alone is enough to make Percy want to scream. Anger ripples through his body. Even Professor Hestia looks murderous. “ _Hand over anyone with Muggle blood and no one else shall lose their lives today_.”

“You’re out of your _mind_ , Luke.” Professor Hestia says coldly. “We won’t be giving you anyone to torture."

“ _Th_ _at’s not my name_.” A sharp pain stings at the front of Percy’s head, like a headache. As he gauges the reactions of students and teachers around him, he realizes he’s not the only one who feels this. But not everyone does. He sees Annabeth, then, all the way across the room, and sees that her expression is void of physical pain. In fact, when he looks around the room, he sees that quite a few amount of people don’t seem to be affected, and all of these witches and wizards have one thing in common: blood status. With a sick feeling in his stomach, Percy realizes that whatever Kronos is doing to them, he’s only doing it to those with Muggle blood. “ _This is your last chance, Hestia. Either way, your students will die. You have one hour_.”

The pain is gone just as quickly as it’d come. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his headmistress visibly deflate. Percy has never seen Professor Hestia look utterly lost, but that’s exactly how she looks now: lost, and helpless, and like she’s just seen the end of the world occur before her very eyes. Which maybe she sort of us.

“Kill or be killed.” Percy sums up, watching Hestia’s reaction carefully. “You hand over anyone with Muggle blood and Kronos will slaughter us all. You refuse to hand anyone over and we may lose even more.”

“Either way, Kronos kills. Either way, he gets what he wants.” Hestia says weakly. Then she clears her throat and straightens up, squaring her shoulders. She doesn’t look Percy in the eyes. Maybe she’s embarrassed to have almost broken down in front of a student. “I’m not giving him my students.”

“Professor,” says a student somewhere on the opposite side of the room, “why cause more bloodshed if we can just—”

“Shut up.” Annabeth says loudly, cutting off the student. She looks livid, and to Percy, she’s never looked more beautiful. “We’re not giving Kronos _anyone_. If you think otherwise, there’s more than enough empty space in the dungeons for you to hide out in while the rest of us kick his ass.”

“Miss _Chase_.” Professor Hestia says warningly.

“We need to set up boundaries around the castle,” says Annabeth, ignoring the headmistress’s reprimand. “Protection spells. Put up the defences. Position students at spots that aren’t easily visible from the outside, so we can strike in Kronos’s blind spots.”

“I will not put my students in the line of danger.” Hestia says stubbornly.

“All due respect, Professor,” answers Percy, meeting Annabeth’s eyes. “But we’re going to fight this fight whether you like it or not.”

Hestia regards them both. Annabeth crosses the room, gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles are white. Percy feels like he wants to throw up. Then, Professor Hestia, very slowly, says, “None younger than fifth year. Do you hear me?”

Relief floods through Percy’s body. “Yes, Professor,” he says. She lifts her chin and then walks away from them.

Annabeth looks as pale as a ghost. “Uh,” she says, very quietly, “did we just boss around our Headmistress?”

“Yeah,” says Percy, and to his surprise, he lets out a laugh. “We did.”

\---

“I don’t understand.” Nico crosses his arms. The glare on his face could be menacing, if he weren’t several inches shorter than Percy. “I can fight! Last summer, if you don’t remember, I—”

“—stayed inside with Grover and the other underage wizards while the rest of us fought off Kronos’s minions.” Percy finishes for him, silencing the fourth year. “Nico, you’re only a _fourth year_ , okay? Maybe it’d be different if you’d just finished your O.W.L.s, but...no way. You’re too young.”

Nico’s eyes flash with anger. “This is _stupid_.” he declares. “I can fight. You know I can fight.”

“You’re right.” Percy says. “I know you can fight. Which is why I need you to get everyone who _isn’t_ fighting to safety. And if anyone from Kronos’s army comes after you, you can protect everyone. That’s why only _you_ can do this, Nico.”

The fourth year’s expression changes. Percy can’t really read it, but there’s something in Nico’s obsidian eyes that makes Percy’s heart lurch. “Besides,” says Percy, before Nico can respond, “Bianca would come back from the grave and murder me ten times over if I really let you stay here and fight. Your parents can’t lose another child, Nico.”

Nico is silent for a moment, but Percy can tell that his words meant something to the fourth year. Then, finally, Nico draws his wand and sighs. “Fine,” he says. “Should I take them to the Room of Requirement?”

“With any luck, it’ll produce a magical item or a portal for you to get them through.” Percy nods. “And once you all get to the other side, try to get as many witches and wizards to come here. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

He nods. “Anything else?”

Percy puts his hands on Nico’s shoulders. “Be safe.”

Nico nods solemnly. Then he turns on his heels and walks the other way, into the crowd, yelling, “If you’re a fourth year or younger, follow me!”

“Twenty minutes.” Connor says from Percy’s shoulder. Percy turns to look at him; the seventh year’s eyes are red from sleep. He’s got his robes draped over his pyjama set. In any other situation, Percy would have laughed. Now it just makes him feel worse. “We’ve got twenty minutes to set up defenses before Kronos strikes. Do we have backup?”

“I told Nico to find some once he’s gotten all of the students to safety.” Percy told him. “We’ll be okay.”

Connor whistles. “Kronos has a fairly large army, Perce.”

“I know.” Percy says. He takes a deep breath. “Are you ready?”

“To potentially die tonight?” Connor shakes his head. “Never, mate. But if I die, and we win, then...at least I’d get to see Zoё again.”

“You’re not dying.” Percy says immediately, nudging his arm. “Not on my watch. Over my own dead body.”

“You’re not dying, either.” Connor retorts, staring at him.

“I would before I’d let any of my friends die.”

“And _Annabeth_ would probably take the spell for you.” The thought makes Percy’s throat close. He thinks about the nightmare he’d had, of Annabeth lying in his arms, cold and lifeless. It’s enough to make him want to sob right there. “None of us are dying.” Connor clarifies. “Not you, not me, not Annie, not the rest of us.”

“I might have to dispute that.” Annabeth says, from Percy’s other side. “Call me ‘Annie’ one more time, Stoll, and I’ll kill you myself.”

Connor only grins at her. “Sorry, love. No more ‘Annie’. Can I call you Beth?”

“No.”

“Anna?”

“No.”

He pouts. “You’re no fun.”

“Annabeth,” says Percy, before his girlfriend can hex Connor, “why don’t you find Will, Rachel, and Leo and gather the Ravenclaws? Position them around the castle. Then put on your hat and go somewhere Kronos would never expect.”

“Putting me right in the middle of the battle, Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth smiles slightly.

“You’re the best witch I know.” Percy says honestly. Annabeth’s smile falters a little. “If there’s someone else who could take down Kronos other than me, it’d be you. If someone else needs to take Kronos down, it’ll be you.”

She kisses him. Percy tries not to hold onto her too tight, but he thinks about their moment on top of the Astronomy tower, how it’d felt like it could be one of their last moments together. This, right here, standing in one of the corridors of the castle, could be the last time Percy gets to kiss her. Maybe. He hates the feeling of the pit growing in his stomach. He hates a lot of things. He hates Kronos.

“I’ll see you out there.” Annabeth says, when she pulls away. She gives Percy’s hand a quick squeeze and then pushes through the crowd of students.

Percy’s hands feel clammy. He looks over at Connor, who is watching him with an expression that Percy can’t decipher. “Come on,” says Connor, before Percy can ask him anything, “let’s find our other friends and get them to do the same as Annabeth with their houses.”

Jason, Piper and Frank take the Gryffindors to the East Wing after meeting with Percy and Connor. Hazel sends most of the Hufflepuffs in the same direction Grover had gone half an hour ago and decides to take herself and a few others to the Great Hall. “We’ll need Healers,” she says simply, when Percy frowns at her. “For when we fall or get injured. We can do that in the Great Hall. And I’ll put up protection shields. Kronos is a monster, but hopefully he’ll at least honor the wounded.”

Percy knows he won’t, especially if those wounded are wizards and witches with Muggle blood. But all he does is nod and squeeze Hazel’s shoulder. The last thing anyone needs to hear is any ounce of pessimism. “If you need anything,” he tells her.

Hazel smiles up at him. “I know. Hey, uh, where’s Frank? There’s something I need to tell him.”

“East Wing.” Percy answers.

“Perfect.” she answers. “Also, if you find Will, send him over here, will you? Tell him to meet me in the Great Hall.”

Percy bites his lip. “Will’s a great fighter.”

Hazel’s smile disappears. For as small as she is, she’s definitely also scary. “Will’s also a great healer,” she counters. “Besides. I’m sure Nico would feel better knowing Will’s not in the action.”

Then she turns and walks down the hall before Percy can say another word.

Connor claps Percy’s shoulder. “We can do this,” he says somewhat confidently. “The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors are all good. I’m going to round up the Slytherins. What’s next?”

Percy blinks. “Shouldn’t you be asking Professor Hestia?”

His friend stares at him like he’s gone mad. “Mate,” says Connor, as if he were trying to explain something to a child, “Professor Hestia’s not the one who just organized all of the students into battle positions. Professor Hestia’s not the one Kronos has a fixation on. You can’t tell me you haven’t kind of considered yourself a leader.”

Connor’s right. Percy’s thought about it, of course. His dad had made it sound like there was a prophecy that Percy was part of. Hestia had given Percy more information than the headmistress probably would have given to some normal student. Kronos had kidnapped _Percy_ , not someone else. He could have chosen anyone else. Percy’s friends hadn’t been seeing the Dark Wizard in their dreams. And he’s kind of already accepted it. He knows he’s got a larger role in this war than most others. But now the battle is _here_ , and now it’s time for him to actually step into that role, and Percy’s not quite sure how he feels about that.

“What’s next.” Percy says slowly. His tongue feels too big for his mouth. “Um—”

But Percy doesn’t get a chance to make another decision. His head throbs, then, harsh and painful enough for Percy’s hands to shoot up, clutching his head. Then the nails on the chalkboard return.

“ _Time’s up_ ,” says Kronos. “ _You have chosen poorly. Prepare for your deaths_.”

The pain fades from Percy’s head as the walls begin to shake. The witches and wizards in the portraits decorating the walls begin to shriek, and run from one canvas to the other; the only students left in the hall—Percy, Connor, and the rest of the Slytherins—all reach for their wands.

“Where the hell are the professors?” Connor demands.

“Probably outside already.” Percy answers, but the the way his heartbeat quickens so rapidly makes him feel uneasy. “Outside or in other places of the castle.”

Professor Hestia has disappeared from the hall as well, leaving the Slytherins alone in the corridor. “This won’t be enough.” Connor says. Percy’s heart sinks. His friend’s eyes are wide with panic. “We’ve got—what—less than half of the students? Plus the professors? And how large is Kronos’s army? He’s going to tear through us and kill us all.”

“It’s a good thing, then,” says a familiar voice from behind them, “that you’re not alone, Percy Jackson.”

The voice, Percy discovers, as he turns around, belongs to Minister Grace, Jason’s father, the Minister for Magic. Percy’s only met him once, but he looks the exact same: stormy blue eyes, dark hair and beard, pinstripe robes. His wand is white, and jagged in a way that it looks like a lightning bolt. The Minister for Magic nods at Percy. “We received your Patronus message.”

“Clearly, he knows that. Otherwise why else would we be here?” says someone behind the minister.

Zeus’s expression shifts from determined to annoyed. He sighs. “My brother,” he says, sounding none-too-thrilled about the fact. “Hades.”

Nico and Hazel’s father is a tall, thin man, with oily hair as black as night and eyes to match. He’s pale, and he looks gaunt, almost like a ghost. Even just by staring at him, Percy can see the similarities between his looks and his son’s. Maybe even Bianca’s.

It hits Percy, then, that Nico is older than his sister ever would be. Nearly a year older.

“There’s no time for us to argue about anything,” says a third, tired voice. Poseidon is standing near the back of the group of newly arrived people. He pushes through the crowd—which isn’t hard, considering that Percy’s father is quite tall—and stops right beside Hades. “Or did either of you not hear the explosion outside?”

“I’m sorry,” says Connor. “Did you say brother?”

The Minister for Magic looks regretful. “He’s adopted,” he says. “Both of them are.”

“All _three_ of us are.” Poseidon corrects. Bewildered, Percy looks to his father. “We don’t like to talk about it,” he adds, when he catches Percy’s look. “But when this war is over, I’ll explain everything.”

“What happened to having no time?” Zeus says, almost in the way a child would mimic a sibling. “It’s time to strike. With any luck, Kronos won’t know we’ve come to fight.”

“The Gryffindors went to the East Wing.” Percy says. “Annabeth scattered the Ravenclaws around the castle, mostly outside, I think. There are some people in the Great Hall setting it up for the wounded. Kronos’s entire army is outside, by the Forbidden Forest. They may be closer by this point. They may be fighting some of the students already.”

He tries not to think about it. About people he’s grown up with fighting. Killing. _Dying_. His stomach churns just thinking about it.

“We’ll split up.” Poseidon places his hand on Percy’s shoulder. “And we’ll beat Kronos, Percy.”

Percy doesn’t feel too optimistic about it. He nods, gripping his wand in his hand. “Sure,” he says, meeting his father’s steely gaze.

The warmth of Poseidon’s palm leaves Percy’s shoulder. The seventh year watches as his father walks through the hall, flanked by his adoptive brothers and other members of the Ministry. One head, in particular, sticks out to Percy—tall with blond, close-cropped hair, and a sour expression. Once, several years ago, with a bloody nose and wild, angry eyes.

Octavian.

The once-Slytherin meets Percy’s eyes hesitantly. Percy can’t read the expression on Octavian’s face, but he nods anyway. Turns out that, after all this time, Octavian is still on the good side. It’s a bit surprising.

The wizards from the Ministry disappear around the corner.

“How the hell do you send a Patronus message?” inquires Connor, mostly to himself.

Percy smiles slightly. “I’ll teach you,” he promises. “When we get out of this.”

Connor claps his friend’s shoulder. “Sure. I’ll hold you to it, if we don’t die first.”

The pit in Percy’s stomach returns for a split second. There’s a joking smile on Connor’s face, but Percy can see the genuine fear shining in his eyes. He wonders, not for the first time that night, how many of his friends will be joining Bianca and Zoё on the other side.

“Slytherins!” Percy turns. The students in his house look up from one another, cease their nervous whispering, and stand with their wands in sweaty hands. “If there are any of you who would most likely be able to be a great help to Hazel in healing injured wizards, you can head to the Great Hall. The rest of us need to get somewhere and join the rest of our friends and professors in the fight. I know it’s not easy,” he adds, with a quick look at Connor. “And we never expect scary things like this to happen. But that’s why we’ve been prepared, isn’t it? Watch your back out there. Watch your friends’ backs out there. Keep casualties on our side to a minimum.”

“What about Kronos’s army?” a fifth-year Slytherin inquires.

Percy hesitates.

“If we leave them alive, they’ll keep coming after us until someone kills them.” points out a sixth-year. “And they’re going to kill us without mercy. Why should we show them any?”

“Do what you think is necessary.” Connor interrupts, before the fifth-year can respond. “Obviously, we can’t just avoid killing Kronos’s men or we’ll never win.”

Connor’s right. Percy hates to admit it, but he knows that what they’ll have to do is kill Kronos’s men until there are none left. Or until Kronos is dead himself.

“But don’t use it.” Connor adds. He swallows. “Most of you are underage. Those of you who aren’t still shouldn’t be using the Killing Curse for any reason.”

“But—” protest the same sixth-year.

“I said no Killing Curse.” he interrupts. “There are other spells you can use. Drive them away. Tire them out. This is a war we need to win, but that doesn’t mean to we need to become heartless killers.”

Connor looks at Percy and pats his shoulder again. “Let’s get out there,” he says, blue eyes shining.

And they go.

\---

They exit the castle into the courtyard and they’re immediately hit with chaos.

Red and green lights flash everywhere. There are no bodies on the ground, thankfully, but they could have already been dragged away at this point. The first people to catch Percy’s eye are Jason, Piper, and Leo, fighting back-to-back-to-back in a triangle. Percy doesn’t recognize any of the wizards they’re fighting.

“Percy!” Connor shouts.

Percy turns and immediately ducks. The spell aimed for his face whizzes past the Slytherins and embeds itself in one of the pillars in the courtyard, cracking it right where the red light hits. This is when the Slytherins disperse, breaking away from the group, wands raised and curses leaving their mouths. Percy and Connor stand shoulder-to-shoulder, watching as more of Kronos’s men run to meet the Slytherins. More spells are cast. The amount of green light increases. It takes all of Percy’s willpower not to cringe at it.

“Well?” Connor raises his wand. He nods at Percy, taking a deep breath. “You ready?”

Percy takes a deep breath. His wand hand is trembling. Last time he was in a battle, he wasn’t that afraid in the beginning. Then again, the last time he was in a battle… Percy lost a dear friend. One he’d never see again. That wouldn’t change.

He’d made Kronos pay for his friends. Percy pushes his fear aside and raises his wand. “Ready,” he says. Then the two seventh-years launch into battle.

\---

A string of spells leaves Percy’s mouth before he can even register what spells he’s casting. He sends two of Kronos’s men into the wall, stuns another, and leg-locks a fourth who promptly gets kicked in the face by a fifth-year Gryffindor. Connor stays by his side, fighting as hard as he can, waving his wand for shields and jinxes as more of Kronos’s men come toward them.

And Percy knows this isn’t even the center of the battle. It can’t be. None of the members of the Ministry are here, and other than the Slytherins, they have a handful of others. Jason, Piper, and Leo have disappeared from the courtyard. Percy wonders where Kronos is. If the Dark Wizard is even fighting. If he’s waiting for someone in particular.

Waiting for Percy.

The last wizard in front of Percy falls. He doesn’t know who’s dead. He sees no Hogwarts students on the ground, so his heartbeat slows a little. For now, as far as he knows, everyone is okay.

Then Connor says, “Holy shit.”

Looking up, Percy can see that the Astronomy tower is in full moonlight. And on top of that tower are two people: Professor Artemis, the Astronomy professor, and a man he’s only ever seen once, in the backyard of Jason Grace’s house.

It’s Zoё’s father.

Percy’s relief dissipates in an instant and is replaced with a wave of fury. Neither Artemis nor Zoё’s father—Atlas, Percy believes—have spotted either wizard in the courtyard. Jets of green light fly everywhere. And, after a moment, it looks like Atlas is winning.

“Percy, _no_ ,” hisses Connor, catching his friend’s arm before Percy can even move a muscle. “You go up there, you might do something you regret.”

“Are you really telling me this right now?” Percy stares at him. “Who’s the one who said to do what was necessary? You know whose _father_ that is, Connor?”

“I know.” Connor says quietly. He looks pale in the moonlight. “I _know_ , Percy. But he killed her. He’ll kill us, too.”

Percy shakes his head. “He _poisoned_ her.” he says. “A coward’s way of killing someone. I won’t show him the same cowardice.”

Connor blinks. “Professor Artemis can handle it.”

And Percy is sure that she can. But Professor Artemis probably has no idea who she’s fighting. Percy does.

“I’m going up there,” he decides. “Connor, find somewhere else to join the fight.”

Percy pulls his arm out of his friend’s grip and runs into the castle.

He knows the route to the Astronomy tower like it’s carved into his heart. He’s been up there with Annabeth a number of times; he loves the stars, and he knows Annabeth does, too. And he knows the stars he looks at are the same ones his mom is looking at, too, wherever she is with Paul and Percy’s little sister, safe and out of harm’s way.

When this battle is over, when Kronos is dead, Percy will finally be able to see her again.

He runs up the stairs to the tower, gripping his wand in his hand, his heartbeat quickening with every step. Percy is grasping the railing by the time he reaches the top, and he almost stumbles right through it when he puts his hand on the handle to thrust it open.

Artemis and Atlas freeze.

“You,” says Atlas, first, lowering his wand an inch as he studies the seventh year’s face. “I know you. You were friends with my daughter.”

“Mr. Jackson.” Professor Artemis says warningly. “This is my fight. You shouldn’t be here.”

“It’s sweet of you to check up on your dear professor.” Atlas muses. “I’m afraid she won’t be leaving the top of this tower alive. Or you, now, it seems. When you see Zoё, _Percy Jackson_ , be sure to—”

Blood roars in Percy’s ears. He raises his wand and shouts, _“Stupefy!”_

The jet of red light is aimed square at Atlas’s chest. The elder wizard waves it out with a shield charm without even uttering a single word. “You’re a _coward_ ,” Percy spits, as Artemis raises her own wand again. “Killing your daughter with poison. Betraying her. Kronos is going to lose.”

“Watch your tone.” Atlas warns.

“If you’re so confident in your dueling skills, why haven’t you defeated Artemis, then?” Percy takes a step forward. “Why couldn’t you defeat your daughter, last summer? Something tells me you’re not as powerful of a wizard as you claim.”

Atlas’s eyes flash. In the moonlight, Percy realizes, they’re the same color as Zoё’s—only filled with anger, hatred, and something else Percy can’t identify. “You want to see how powerful of a wizard I can be, boy?” Atlas snarls. “I don’t care what Kronos wants you for. You’re going to die, by my hand, on this tower.”

Percy looks down at the courtyard. Connor is gone, hopefully fighting off the rest of Kronos’s army. Professor Artemis, on Percy’s left, shouts, “ _Protego!”_

The professor’s shield charm blocks Atlas’s jet of green light. Percy hadn’t even heard the wizard speak the Killing Curse, but he must have; Artemis’s shield parries another jet of green light, and another, and then Percy watches as the shield fizzles, leaving him vulnerable to anything Atlas casts.

“Goodbye, Percy Jackson.” Atlas sneers. With his wand raised high, he shouts, “ _Avada Kedavra!”_ and the jet of green light comes right for Percy’s chest.

But it doesn’t hit him.

Percy cries, “ _Aguamenti!”_ at the same instant as Atlas yells the Killing Curse. From Percy’s wand comes a stream of water, which absorbs the green light and forms a bubble around the wizard’s head. For a moment, Percy sees Octavian, struggling in the Slytherin common room. Then he sees another member of Kronos’s army, flailing in Jason Grace’s backyard. Then it’s just Atlas, his wand on the floor, his eyes bulging wide, his mouth open as the water fills his throat and lungs.

Then Atlas drops to the ground, dead.

“Merlin's twisted underpants,” says Professor Artemis. Looking over at her, Percy sees how shocked she looks. Then he lowers his wand, suddenly self-conscious.

Atlas is dead.

Percy just killed him. In front of his Astronomy professor.

“Hestia wasn’t kidding.” Artemis says in a hushed voice. Lowering her own wand, she looks over at Percy, looking more astonished than anything else. “We need to hurry,” she says. “To help everyone else.”

“You just watched me kill him.” Percy says, mouth dry.

Artemis nods grimly. “This is a war,” she says, though she sounds none too happy about it. “It was him or us, Mr. Jackson. As much as I wish you wouldn’t have to bear the burden of taking a man’s life...it’s best you prepare yourself. Atlas will not be the only wizard you kill tonight.”

She holds the tower door open for Percy to step through. Percy steps on Atlas’s wand, shattering it with a red spark, and then leaves the tower. He tries not to realize that his most recent memory of the Astronomy tower is now a dead man, instead of Annabeth’s shining grey eyes.

_Atlas will not be the only wizard you kill tonight._

\---

Percy follows Professor Artemis through the castle. They step over rubble and past students and Ministry officials and, to Percy’s horror, the dead body of Ethan Nakamura, lying against a pile of bricks in one of the hallways, one eye staring up at the ceiling lifelessly, the other missing.

He remembers talking with Ethan Nakamura. Evil or not, he didn’t deserve to die. Or did he?

“Keep moving, Mr. Jackson.” Artemis says. Percy looks up, but finds himself unable to read the expression in her eyes as the Astronomy professor looks down at Ethan Nakamura. “We don’t have time to dwell on the dead.”

She’s right. Percy knows she’s right. He kneels down, closing Ethan’s only eye, and then stands, continuing to follow Artemis through the castle. They pass the Great Hall and Percy doesn’t dare try to look and see how badly they’re losing.

As they reach the front doors, Percy can make out several different spells being shouted from several different voices. Someone screams. Another person shouts. And then Percy rounds the corner and sees it.

There is no fighting actually happening within the castle; everyone is outside, in a pavilion littered with broken bricks from the castle’s exterior. Professor Artemis leaves Percy’s side almost immediately, moving to aid a fifth year against someone from Kronos’s army. A bright jet of red light whizzes right past Percy’s ear as he raises his wand, scanning the crowd for any familiar faces.

He finds one. It’s not one he wanted to.

Octavian is fighting against two large wizards, backing up against the castle wall as he frantically waves his wand. Percy watches in horror as Octavian focuses all of his energy onto one of the wizards, barely noticing as the second wizard raises his arm.

A jet of green light comes from the second wizard’s wand. But it never hits Octavian.

Percy’s wand arm is outstretched before he can even process it. “ _Protego!”_ he roars, point his wand right at Octavian. Seconds before the Killing Curse makes impact, Percy’s shield charm covers Octavian’s body. The green light ricochets off the shield and into the air, in the direction of the empty forest. The wizards take one look at Percy and back away very quickly.

“I didn’t need your help, Jackson,” is what Octavian sneers when Percy crosses the pavilion to him.

Despite expecting the blond former-Slytherin to say something like that, Percy still feels a wave of anger and irritation. He raises an eyebrow, looking at Octavian’s shaking wand arm. “I just saved your _life_ , jackass,” says Percy, crossing his arms. “Don’t make me regret it.”

Before Octavian can respond, Percy turns and walks away. And that’s when he sees exactly who he was looking for.

Annabeth stands back to back with Rachel Dare, waving her wand at the wizard opposing her. Her hair has fallen from its ponytail, and her face is dirty, and if Percy squints, he’s pretty sure that smear on her cheek is blood; but she’s still never looked more beautiful to him. The wizard in front of her falls with a Stun spell and Annabeth takes a moment to breathe, staring down at the immobilized body of the enemy.

She looks up and meets Percy’s eyes.

Percy feels dumb, a little, standing in the middle of the battle-heavy pavilion, doing absolutely nothing but gaping at his girlfriend like an idiot. But Annabeth’s eyes are shining and that kind of makes up for it. And she takes a step toward him—

“ _Jason!”_

Piper’s scream makes Percy pull his eyes away from Annabeth. The Gryffindor kneels on the ground in the middle of the pavilion, sitting with a blond in her lap—Jason Grace, his eyes closing, his wand rolling off of his lifeless hand.

From feet away, Percy feels like he can hear Jason’s wand clatter against the ground.

\---

The first thing Percy notices about Jason is the blood covering his face. The second thing he notices is that Jason is still _breathing_.

“Piper.” Percy says urgently, as Annabeth kneels on Piper’s other side, putting her hand on her friend’s arm. “Pipes, he’s going to be _okay._ We need to get him into the Great Hall. He’s still breathing, and he’s going to be okay, but we have to move him.”

Piper nods after a moment, shifting her arms underneath Jason’s head to support him as she stands shakily. Percy on Jason’s left and Annabeth on his right, the three of them manage to lift him just enough to hurry him back into the building without jostling him too much. Hazel meets them at the entrance to the Great Hall and guides the three students to an empty space on the floor, where they set Jason down gently.

“I’m going back out there.” Piper says, standing up the minute her hands leave the back of Jason’s head. “I’m going to find whoever the hell did this to Jason and make them pay for it.”

She grabs her wand from her pocket and storms away.

Hazel kneels beside Jason with her wand raised over his body. She looks exhausted as she murmurs a spell under her breath.

“Come on,” says Annabeth softly, closing her fingers around Percy’s wrist. “We should get back out there.”

They both stand. Percy ignores the urge to wrap his arms around Annabeth and never let go. He hasn’t done much fighting, but he feels exhausted; he has no idea what time it is. He can’t even remember what day it is.

“Are you okay?” Annabeth shakes his arm a little. They haven’t moved; they stay standing beside Hazel and Jason. “I saw Connor not too long ago, but he said you’d run off to help Professor Artemis with—”

“I killed Zoё’s dad.” Percy says. Annabeth inhales sharply. He wonders if that’s the answer she was expecting. Or maybe it was the answer she was dreading. “I used _Aguamenti_ , like what happened with Octavian. But I didn’t stop until he was dead.”

Annabeth is silent for a moment. Percy realizes that the dull thudding noise he hears is coming from his own ribcage, from his heart beating. “Percy,” she says, finally, “just—some things aren’t meant to be controlled, you know?”

She slips her fingers through his and squeezes his hand.

“I had no choice.” Percy turns to look at her. He doesn’t know what he expects to see in her eyes—fear, apprehension, pity?—but Annabeth only watches him with the same expression she always does. The one he loves more than anything. “It was him or Professor Artemis and I.”

“I know.” Annabeth promises. “I do.” she reaches up to kiss the corner of his mouth, slipping her hand out of his. “I’ll see you out there.”

He manages a half-smile. “Don’t I get a kiss? For good luck?”

Annabeth gives him a look as she tries to fight the growing smile on her lips. “Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we’ll see.”

It’s not until Annabeth leaves his line of sight that Percy sees just how many people are in the Great Hall. Percy’s heart feels like it’s hanging by a thread. He doesn’t know who is still alive, and who isn’t; a quick scan of the room tells him that he doesn’t recognize anyone other than Jason. But he can recognize when a body on the floor belongs to a fifth-year. A sixth-year. Underage wizards who have given their lives to prevent Kronos from killing hundreds of others.

Percy told them to fight. They followed him. Is their blood on his hands?

“Don’t think like that.” Hazel scolds. The short brunette stands from Jason’s side, brushing her knees off as she pushes her wand through her ponytail.

He blinks. “Like what?”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I can _see_ the expression on your face,” Hazel points out. “Everyone who has fought and risked their lives tonight chose to. You didn’t force them to do anything. You blaming their deaths on yourself isn’t going to help anyone.”

He takes a deep breath. “Yeah. You’re right, Hazel.”

“I know.” Hazel smiles slightly. “Hey, uh—have you seen Frank out there?”

“I haven’t.” Percy admits. He tries not to notice the way Hazel’s expression falls slightly. “But he’s not in here, is he? So he’s all right. He’ll be all right, Hazel.”

Hazel exhales. “He better be. Or I’ll kill him.”

Percy leaves her in the Great Hall, smiling slightly at the thought of her yelling at Frank. When he returns to the pavilion, he can’t see Annabeth, or any of his other friends; he’s left on his own, but he doesn’t really have time to dwell on that, because he barely has enough time to raise his wand when a spell comes flying towards him.

It’s no ordinary spell, though. And it’s coming from no ordinary person. As Percy blocks the spell, shielding his eyes from the intensity of its stream of light, he catches a glimpse of a blond-haired wizard with a scar from just below his right eye to the bottom of his jaw; a scar that was given to the Dark Wizard by Bianca di Angelo.

Kronos advances on Percy with his wand raised before the seventh year can really react. Percy raises his wand arm on instinct, but the spell Kronos casts hits his arm and sends blinding pain shooting up all the way to his shoulder. The pain is bad enough that Percy stumbles, throwing out his free, painless arm to break his fall.

That’s where he goes wrong. His hand lands on a sharp, jagged edge of _something_ , and Percy can feel his skin split. His hand feels warm; when he pulls his hand away from the concrete rubble, the bricks have been darkened by his blood. It isn’t a large cut, but it’s enough to make his other arm feel like jelly. Percy struggles to keep his grip on his wand, pressing his bloody palm flat against his thigh to try and put pressure on the wound. His heart is beating so harshly against his ribcage he feels like his chest is going to burst.

“Percy Jackson,” says Kronos, looming over him. In the moonlight, or perhaps the very faint daylight, Kronos looks gaunt, the palest Percy’s ever seen, except for the red line of the scar. Kronos’s mouth is twisted up into a sneer. “You should have taken my offer when you had the chance.”

“You should have realized that we were going to beat you no matter what you threw at us.” Percy spits out, glaring up at him as he grits his teeth. “You’re only shedding more blood, Kronos.”

Kronos smiles mercilessly. “You think I care about bloodshed, Jackson?”

“I think you should care if your men are dying.”

“The only thing I care about is restoring the Wizarding World to its peak.” Kronos hisses. “I don’t care how many lives are lost in the process.” The Dark Wizard tilts his head, regarding Percy carefully. His eyes glint in the moonlight. “Do you?”

That’s when Percy sees her.

Behind Kronos’s body, Percy sees Annabeth fighting off a wizard who looks their age, maybe a year or two older. She isn’t losing; in fact, she’s doing brilliant. Annabeth is one of the brightest, most skilled witches of their age.

But she _could_ lose. Jason didn’t die when he was hit by the spell but he _could_ have. Percy hasn’t seen Piper since she stormed out of the Great Hall only minutes before Percy did. Piper has to be okay. But she _could_ be injured.

Percy can’t control reality. If he were faced with the opportunity of beating Kronos, but at the cost of even just one of his friends dying, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to kill his former Quidditch Captain and say goodbye to Jason? Or Piper? _Annabeth_?

But he’s done it before, hasn’t he? Last summer, they beat Kronos’s wizards when they showed up at Jason’s, but at the cost of Zoё. He let Zoё die because he’d failed to notice that she was _poisoned_ , and if Percy had realized it in time, he might have been able to get her to St. Mungo’s. He might have been able to save her life.

_Might have_ , says a voice in his head. _Her death is not your fault. You cannot blame yourself for that._

The voice, Percy realizes, is Zoё’s. He hasn’t heard her voice in a year. He wasn’t even sure he remembered what his friend sounded like. Percy’s heart feels like it’s in his throat.

“Look around you, Percy Jackson.” Kronos says, bringing Percy back to reality. His voice is thin, like the sound a knife makes when it’s being scraped, or nails on a chalkboard. It’s harsh compared to Zoё’s soft tone inside Percy’s head. “Your friends are dying. You’re letting underage students give their lives to fight in a pointless battle. I’m going to win.”

Percy’s head is swimming. In the night, he sees spells being cast and bodies falling to the ground. He remembers how many bodies were inside the Great Hall. He sees, now, just how many bodies are on the ground in the pavilion; how did he not see them before? He can’t tell whose side the lifeless bodies were on, but his heart stops when his eyes drift over a fifteen-year-old Ravenclaw, wearing her pyjamas, dead eyes looking up at the sky.

“It’s a shame you decided not to join us.” Kronos continues, pointing his wand towards the air. Percy scrambles back, pain shooting up both of his arms as he struggles to push himself to his feet. “Perhaps I would have let your friends live.”

“You won’t—you won’t kill us.” Percy says, chest heaving, his head reeling as stands up straight. “I’ll stop you. _We’ll_ stop you.”

Kronos’s smile widens. “I never said anything about killing you myself.”

Silence takes over the pavilion. The jets of light fade; no one continues to cast spells. Wizards on Percy’s side and Kronos’s side alike lower their wands to stare up at the sky, where an hourglass symbol is looming over them all.

All of the sand is on the bottom. Time is up.

Up for _what?_

That’s when Percy feels the cold.

A shadow passes over the full moon. Then another. Then another. Then Percy realizes that they aren’t shadows; they’re figures cloaked in dark rags, black as night, with thin fingers reaching out to grasp throats.

They’re _Dementors._

“Now,” says Kronos, taking a step back. “It’s time for you to watch the souls of your friends be sucked from their bodies.”

Percy inhales. Exhales. The world is spinning; his wand arm is throbbing and his other hand is bleeding and he is struggling to stay conscious on his feet. He is broken and bloody and tired and this is worse than fighting Kronos in a wizard-to-wizard duel, because there are too many Dementors and not enough wizards and the cold creeps into Percy’s heart because they’re going to die.

He’s going to die. And Kronos is going to win.

“ _Percy!”_

Annabeth.

Percy blinks, his vision clearing as he sees his blonde girlfriend across the field. A Dementor is approaching her, but she’s not looking at it; no, she’s looking at Percy, grey eyes on green. He can read her expression like an open book and suddenly, something in his mind clicks.

_“I read something else about Patronus Charms.” Annabeth says, quiet enough so only Percy can hear. “Not until after we’d done them, though.”_

_“And I suppose you’re going to tell me, right?” Percy raises his eyebrows._

_Annabeth’s smile widens. “I was reading about one of the most famous Patronuses of all time. It was actually a lowly mouse and it belonged to a wizard named Illyius. He cast the charm when his village was being attacked by a Dark Wizard—Raczidian—and his army of Dementors. The mouse was small, of course, but it shone with brilliant light, bringing the Dementors to a halt as it moved through the ranks of fleeing villagers._

_“Enraged, Raczidian decided to enter the fray himself by summoning a Patronus to ward off Illyius’s mouse. So he tried the spell, but when he did, maggots shot out of his wand and quickly devoured him as they engulfed his entire body. The villagers hailed Illyius as a hero.”_

_“What happened to Rac—uh, to the Dark Wizard?” Because Percy was definitely not about to try and pronounce that name._

_Annabeth meets his eyes and her smile gets even bigger. “The problem with Raczidian was that he failed to remember that only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus. This was the first time in history that this happened. Raczidian’s mistake revealed what happens when a competent but unworthy wizard or witch attempts the spell.”_

Patronus. Dementors. Dark Wizards.

Percy groans as he lifts his wand arm. Pain flares up in his shoulder, almost enough to make him black out, but he reaches out with his bloody hand, bracing himself against the wall of the broken castle, gasping to collect enough air to mutter the incantation.

He thinks of Annabeth. Of her smile, of the way she looks at him, of the way she kisses him whenever he does something stupid. Of their kiss in the lake. He thinks of Grover. Of how brave his friend is, and how brave he’s always been, despite having a disability. Together, he thinks of all three of them together, his first two friends, playing hackey sack; explaining the game to Annabeth and Grover catching the apple they used once in his mouth.

Connor and Zoё appear in his mind’s eye, beside Annabeth and Grover. From their first meeting at the feast, first year, to the many hours the three Slytherins spent in the common room. He sees Connor’s grin. He sees Zoё throw her head back and laugh. His heart hurts but it feels stronger, somehow, seeing her image like she’s still with him.

Bianca is there, too, only she’s standing next to Nico di Angelo with her hands on her shoulders. Percy has never seen them together; he never will. But there they are, together, standing next to his other friends, smiling and looking the most peaceful he thinks he’s ever seen either of them be. In Percy’s mind, Bianca is Nico’s age, maybe a bit younger. On her wrist is a brand of an hourglass. But she looks alive, and calm, and Percy’s heart swells.

Leo. Will. Rachel. Piper. Hazel. Frank. Jason. Thalia. Percy’s mum. Paul. _Estelle._ Even Poseidon. Every single person Percy’s met and loved since Hogwarts changed his life so many years ago is in his mind, smiling and happy, _there_ , alive, at peace. The only thing Percy would give up anything for is this image of all of his friends and family to be a reality.

“ _Expecto Patronum!”_

The light that erupts from the tip of Percy’s wand is so vibrant that the seventh year has to shield his own gaze from it. His hand shakes—from the intensity of the spell or from the strain on his arm, he has no idea. Percy lowers his free hand and clasps both hands around his wand, steadying his grip, squinting to watch as the light leaves his wand.

His fox soars across the sky. It moves so quick that it’s only a blur of light, appearing in several places at once, emitting rays of silvery white brilliance over the entire pavilion. One by one, Percy can see the Dementors recoil, retreat, away from the only incantation that can stop them.

“What?” Kronos roars, watching the entire scene unfold with disbelief. His back is to Percy, but the seventh year can see the way rage has stiffened Kronos’s body language. “No!”

“Still think you’re going to beat us, then?” Percy says, watching as his fox’s tail waves excitedly in the sky.

“You can’t!” Annabeth shouts from the other end of the pavilion. “Percy’s always going to be more powerful than you _ever_ could be!” Percy opens his mouth to say something, but Annabeth’s eyes silence him. She’s egging Kronos on, he realizes, and he knows the reason why. He keeps his mouth closed. “Look at that!” Annabeth continues, her face raising to the sky. “That Patronus is the most powerful variation of the spell produced! You could _never_ beat that. You could never beat us. You could _never._ Beat. Percy.”

Kronos whirls on Percy. “Never _beat you_?” he snarls, like Percy’s the one who just taunted him in the first place. “I am more powerful than you! _I_ made my army! I will see to it that Muggle blood within wizards ceases to exist and Hogwarts will fall with it!”

Percy tries to think of something else to say, but he doesn’t have to. The blond Dark Wizard raises his wand right at Percy’s fox and bellows, “ _EXPECTO PATRONUM!”_

Something erupts from the end of Kronos’s wand, but it isn’t a silvery light like Percy’s fox. Maggots crawl from the tip of Kronos’s wand, squirming down it to his hand, across his wrist, up his arm, spreading across the Dark Wizard’s body in a manner of seconds. “What’s happening?” Kronos demands, stepping back in horror.

For the first time, Percy can see fear in Kronos’s eyes. And suddenly, Kronos is not Kronos, but to Percy, he’s Luke Castellan. A student he once looked up to. Someone he once cared for.

“Only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus.” Annabeth says smugly, while Percy remains speechless. “When a competent but unworthy wizard attempts the Patronus Charm, maggots shoot out from the wizard’s wand and devour his entire body.”

Kronos looks from Annabeth to Percy. Then he laughs. The sound is unpleasant, almost nauseating. “I see,” he says, eyes glinting in the moonlight. It’s almost dawn, Percy can see. The battle is almost over. “And because you can produce one, you think you don’t have the capability of becoming just like me?”

There is no Luke Castellan. This is _Kronos._

“I’m not you.” Percy says, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I could never become just like you.”

The maggots crawl over the Dark Wizard’s face before he can respond.

_“Don’t you see, Percy?” Annabeth asks. She moves her hand to cover his. “Only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus. You produced one. I know you’ve been worried about your powers and about becoming like Luke—but this?_ This story _is proof that you aren’t becoming like him.”_

One last body falls to the ground as the sun rises over the Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is silent to mourn for the dead, to recover the injured, to revel in its well-earned victory. To attempt to rebuild the school after the damage done. It will take time to get over what happens, but for now, they can look to the sky with a breath of relief.

Kronos is dead.

It’s over.

They’ve won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know what you think in the comments! i love validation
> 
> (also uhh sorry about the jason scare but like i said this is canon compliant so if jason almost dies in the books he almost dies here)
> 
> (i know there are probably a lot of things i left out when it comes to canon compliancy but here me out i feel like i'm writing avengers: infinity war here with how many characters there are at least i'm not like rick and didn't even mention some of the main characters in the final installment of his series ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ no shade)


	10. the aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's okay," he says, sombering. "We're together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy uhhh sorry it's been a month
> 
> if u have this on email alert, SO SORRY. i published it and then freaked out because i realized i needed to add a scene that was super important so i deleted it. i love u all.
> 
> there will be an epilogue.

 

Sunlight stretches across the pavilion, illuminating the broken grounds of the castle. It illuminates the faces of lifeless bodies, of broken bricks and piles of rubble, of still-standing students and still-standing members of Kronos’s army, and what’s left of a Dark Wizard’s maggot-ridden body. It illuminates Percy’s blood-soaked sneakers, his dirty jeans, and stops before the sunlight can blind his face.

The pavilion has been silent since Kronos fell. All Dementors have disappeared from Hogwarts ground, taking the cold with them. The witches and wizards on the Dark Wizard’s side of battle have yet to flee. Percy wonders how many of them have died. How many of them will die. Someone has to pay for what Luke Castellan turned into. His death alone is not recompense enough.

It takes Percy approximately four minutes to realize he’s been staring at Kronos’s body.

He lifts his eyes, angling his head up. The movement sends an ache down his spine. There are too many bodies, too many broken wands, too many lives lost, and he’s not even staring at the entirety of the battle. Then, Percy realizes, there are too many witches and wizards staring at him; too many gaping mouths, too many wide eyes,  _ too much fear.  _ He can see the fear etched onto the faces of several people standing only feet from him. 

Then Kronos’s army begins to flee.

One by one, witches and wizards cloaked in black begin to Apparate away. In the back of his mind, Percy knows he should do something about it: he should stop them, stop  _ one _ , interrogate one, and try to use them to track down the rest of the people in Kronos’s army. There’s no guarantee that a war like this one won’t happen again. There’s never a guarantee. But Percy’s entire body is screaming at him, and his mind is numb, and he’s pretty sure his hand is still bleeding; he can only do so much.

It takes approximately two minutes for the rest of Kronos’s army to disappear from the pavilion. Percy supposes they’re disbanded now. They’ve got no reason to stay together, if their leader is dead. 

Then Annabeth throws herself at him.

He sees her coming, thankfully, and braces himself so they don’t end up topping onto the hard concrete. Annabeth’s arms latch around his neck and stay there, tightening to pull herself as close to Percy as she possibly can. Percy’s wand drops in his attempt to grip her waist, ignoring the burning sensation in his shoulder. He buries his face in her loose blonde curls and breathes in the scent of her wordlessly. Percy’s not quite sure he could find the words to say what he wants to. 

Annabeth does, though. She pulls back only to meet his eyes, her nose centimeters from his. Despite all that’s happened, she smiles a very small smile, and there’s a sparkle in her eyes that makes Percy feel as if he’s falling in love with her all over again. “Seaweed Brain,” she murmurs, only loud enough for him to hear. 

“Wise Girl.” Percy murmurs back, his voice barely above a whisper. His voice trembles when he says it. Annabeth’s smile widens fractionally, unlocking one arm from around his neck to push back his sweaty hair from his face.

That’s all they say. And that’s all they need to.

\---

Percy spends the next hour locating all of his friends. He finds Rachel with Will, helping a sixth year Hufflepuff boy limp down to the Great Hall. He finds Connor standing in a corridor on his own, and almost cries when he embraces his friend. Percy tries to pretend as if he doesn’t feel the way Connor’s body is shaking when he hugs back. Together, with Connor on one side and Annabeth on the other, the three of them make their way to the Great Hall. 

In the Great Hall, Percy sees that Rachel and Will have helped the Hufflepuff boy onto an empty cot in the hall. Frank is in the Great Hall, too, standing next to Hazel as the short Hufflepuff. She isn’t shouting, most likely out of courtesy to everyone within the room, so it’s amusing to see her whispering fiercely while waving her arms like she is. It’s enough to make Percy smile.

Then he sees Piper and Leo sitting on either side of Jason’s lifeless body. Percy’s heart constricts, but he sees Jason’s chest rise and fall and he feels a little less uneasy. Piper notices him and raises a hand in greeting; her face is streaked with dirt and tears. He’s not surprised. If something like that had happened to Annabeth…

“Percy!”

Before Percy can react, a Grover-sized human barrels into him, giving him a tighter bear hug than Annabeth had just after Kronos was killed. It  _ is  _ Grover, crutches nowhere to be seen, wand tightly in hand. Percy’s best friend pulls back, takes one minute to intently study Percy’s face, and then demands, “Are you okay?”

“I’m alive,” Percy says, which is all he can really identify right now. The pain in his shoulder and cut hand have both dulled, but he knows he’ll need a Healer and maybe Muggle painkillers. Most definitely, he needs sleep. “What about you?”

“I’m okay.” Grover confirms. Any pressure remaining on Percy’s heart dissipates. “How’s everyone else?”

“We’re good.” Percy says, looking from Connor’s tired face to Annabeth’s. He realizes, then, that they’ve made it through the battle. All of them. They’re tired and beat-up, but they’re all alive. “We’re here.”

“We are.” Grover agrees. He keeps his hand on Percy’s shoulder. “I need to find my crutches. Do you remember where I put them?”

“You mean do I remember where you  _ threw  _ them?” Percy’s eyebrows shoot up. 

Grover’s face flushes. “I didn’t throw them,” he says, looking mildly embarrassed. “I put them on the ground. And I just remembered where,” he adds, before Percy can give him an answer. “I should go get those. I’ll rejoin you soon.”

“Sure.” Percy says. 

Grover lifts his arm from Percy’s shoulder and starts to walk away, but he pauses before he can go very far, turning back to look at Percy. “You’re my best friend, dude,” he says, with such emotion in his voice that Percy’s throat closes just a little bit. Then he turns around and walks out of the Great Hall.

Connor cries, “Travis, you son of a  _ bitch!” _

Connor’s older but  _ not  _ twin brother walks into the Great Hall as Grover exits, followed by Thalia Grace, who makes a beeline for her brother the minute she spots him. Connor peels away from Annabeth and Percy and hugs his brother, saying something that Percy doesn’t catch. He looks away from his Slytherin friend and lets his gaze fall down on Annabeth, who is watching him carefully. “What?” he asks, before he can stop himself.

The guarded look in Annabeth’s grey eyes falls. “You almost died today,” she says, like Percy hadn’t realized it himself. 

“So did you,” he says.

“Did not,” she challenges, raising her chin slightly. “I had it handled, Jackson.”

Percy laughs. He kisses her soundly, trying his hardest not to linger too long. They  _ are  _ in school, after all. “It’s okay,” he says, voice sombering. “We’re together.”

He doesn’t say  _ we’re alive,  _ because that much is evident. And that’s not what’s important. The only thing that matters is that he’s with Annabeth in this very moment.

“I love you.” Annabeth murmurs. She reaches up to kiss him again. Percy tightens his arms around her, his hands on her back, pulling her close against him. He loves her more than anyone or anything else in this entire world, and he tries to convey that in the kiss, because he knows just saying it aloud isn’t enough.

After a moment, his girlfriend pulls back with a frown. Before Percy can ask, she takes her shirt in her hand and twists it, until a smear of blood from the back of the shirt is visible on the side. “Oh, shit, sorry.” Percy says, pulling his hands away sheepishly. “My hand got cut pretty badly. I thought it’d be done bleeding by now.”

Annabeth fixes him with a steely gaze. “Hazel,” she tells him. “Now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” says Percy. He salutes her and Annabeth rolls her eyes in return. It’s okay, though; after all, he  _ did  _ get his good luck kiss. Even if the battle was already over.

\---

The Minister for Magic walks into the Great Hall almost an hour later. He is flanked by Nico’s father and Percy’s, and the moment the three wizards enter the hall, the entire room goes silent. It makes sense; three intimidating wizards, one of which being the Minister.

“Dad.” Thalia says, breaking the silence. Zeus follows his daughter’s voice to see both of his children together, one unconscious, the other not. He breaks away from his siblings and kneels beside Piper on the ground, bending over Jason. Percy watches as he begins to murmur something, lifting his wand over his son’s face.

Percy is too busy watching that he doesn’t notice his father. Annabeth gives his hand a soft squeeze to divert his attention, and suddenly, Poseidon is standing at Percy’s other side, watching his son with an unreadable expression in his eyes. “Percy,” greets his father. 

“The battle is over.” Percy says, because he doesn’t really know what else to say.

“I assumed as much.” Poseidon smiles halfheartedly. “Seeing as everyone has gathered in the Great Hall.”

Right. Percy flushes with embarrassment, but Poseidon doesn’t seem to notice. His eyes drift over the remaining students and adults in the hall. “You killed Kronos.”

“I didn’t.” Percy says immediately. “Kronos killed himself.”

“Did he?” Poseidon raises an eyebrow.

Percy bites his lip. “Were you watching?” he asks.

“The word spread fast. People know you’re the one who killed Kronos, but  _ how  _ is still a mystery to most” his father answers. “I’m rather glad I wasn’t there to see it.”

Percy’s heart sinks. His mind flashes back to the pavilion, when several witches and wizards stared at him with heart-gripping fear. He’s felt that fear before, on numerous occasions; never had he guessed one day people would stare at him with the same emotion. And now, even if he isn’t showing it, Percy’s father must feel the same way.

“Don’t get me wrong.” Poseidon says quickly, before Percy can bring himself to answer. “I am unbelievably proud of what you’ve accomplished here today. You are a true leader, Percy. You led your fellow students into battle. You sent us a Patronus message to recruit us for the fight.  _ You  _ tricked Kronos and ended this battle. I’m only glad I didn’t witness it because I’m sure it was a rather taxing moment for you. Any chance not to see my son in pain is a chance I’ll take.”

That’s a better reasoning than Percy was expecting. But he shakes his head. “But I still am,” he says. “A lot of people are dead.”  _ Because of me _ .

“This was a war.” Poseidon plants his hands on Percy’s shoulders. He feels the warmth of Annabeth’s hand in his slip away, giving him a private moment with his father. He’s half-grateful for it and half not. “Casualties are inevitable in battle. Their blood is not on your hands. That is something you will have to forcibly remind yourself of, no matter what.”

This  _ was  _ a war. No longer  _ is.  _ “We lost the rest of Kronos’s army,” says Percy, looking up at his father. “They all disappeared shortly after he died.”

“We’ve got Ministry officials tracking them already.” Poseidon assures him. His expression sobers. “How do you feel?”

Just like that, the fatigue in Percy’s body returns. He inhales, grateful for his father’s grip on his shoulders. Percy might collapse soon. “I’m tired,” he finally says, which is an understatement. His hand, now bandaged, still throbs. His shoulder is no different. He’s been on his feet for hours, and he can’t remember how long it’s been since he last slept. 

“Understandably.” his father agrees. “Though I’m afraid you’ve got a long day ahead of you before you can rest.”

That’s the worst part, Percy thinks. He really would love to sleep right now. But Poseidon is right. “One more thing,” says Percy, as his father’s grasp leaves his shoulders. “Well...maybe a lot of things. The prophecy.”

Poseidon’s eyes flash with something Percy doesn’t recognize. “Is there one?” Percy continues. “About me? About this war? The battle’s over now, so the contents of the prophecy don’t matter for me to hear, do they?”

“No, they don’t.” Poseidon says. His voice is quieter than it had been moments ago. He glances around warily, like he’s afraid of getting caught. “Percy, prophecies are dangerous. What they contain...knowing a prophecy can alter your choices.”

Percy blinks. “But it’s over,” he repeats.

“Even so.”

“So—so what, I don’t get to know?” Percy feels a little cheated. A little angry, probably. 

Poseidon exhales. His hand falls back onto Percy’s shoulder. “You already know it,” he says. “Just without the officiality of hearing it right from the prophecy orb.” His father is staring at him so intently that Percy almost feels guilty he has no idea what Poseidon is talking about. 

And then, just like a switch turning on in his brain, he  _ does. _

“Right.” he says, swallowing, looking up at his father and matching his gaze. “Okay.”

“Like I said.” Poseidon says, sighing. “Dangerous.” He claps his son’s shoulder. “One more thing before I go. The battle is over.”

“Uh, yeah.” Percy frowns. 

Poseidon smiles fractionally. If Percy really thinks about it, he can almost see a wistful expression in Poseidon’s eyes. “I think there’s a certain mother of yours who would like to know.”

\---

Percy writes several drafts of the same letter before settling on one to send out. It’s his  _ mum _ , for Merlin’s sake. The one person who has been with him through everything. He thinks of her smile, on the platform on Percy’s first day of Hogwarts, on her wedding day in the summer, on the day Estelle was born, on the last day Percy saw her. He misses her like crazy. And he tells her that, in his sloppy handwriting, and hopes his mother can understand the words he doesn’t write.

\---

When Percy returns to the Great Hall, the first person he sees is Jason: sitting up, bracing himself up on one palm, touching the other to his head. He looks like he has a horrible headache, but there’s color in his cheeks, and he’s  _ alive _ , and that’s enough to Percy.

“Hey, Jason,” says Percy, sitting next to his friend. He notices that nearly all of their friends are beginning to crowd around the seventh year Gryffindor. Piper and Leo haven’t left Jason’s side since the battle ended. “How are you feeling?”

“Hell of a headache.” Jason says, managing a smile up at Percy. He looks around at everyone. “What’d I miss?”

“We won.” Piper says softly.

“How?”

“Percy.” Annabeth says. 

Suddenly most of the heads are turned on him. Thalia is here, too, sitting beside her father on Jason’s opposite side. She looks shocked. Zeus doesn’t. Percy doesn’t really find that surprising. What he  _ does _ , though, is how many of his friends don’t seem to take this as unexpected news. “You did?” Jason asks, though even  _ he  _ doesn’t sound surprised. “Huh. How’d you do it?”

And Percy wants to tell him; he does. But he looks up at Annabeth and sees the expression on her face and realizes maybe what happened in the pavilion should be kept quiet. Anyone remaining on the pavilion after Kronos’s death other than Percy and Annabeth was either a member of his army or deceased. And Percy doesn’t want to see fear on his friend’s faces; seeing it from total strangers was chilling enough. “I...won.” Percy says, tearing his gaze away from Annabeth’s. “It was him or me.”

“And we’re glad it was him.” Piper adds. Her hand is wrapped around Jason’s, but she’s smiling at Percy with warm eyes. Maybe she’s curious, but if she is, she doesn’t press for more answers. “And I, for one, am glad this is over. I don’t think I could fight in another battle like this one.”

“Are you kidding, Beauty Queen?” Leo stares at her. “I saw you single-handedly take out three wizards with a single disarming spell. You’d kick ass in another battle like this one.”

“Three wizards?” Jason echoes, staring at Piper in astonishment. “That’s incredible.”

“It was nothing.” Piper says dismissively, sheepishly looking down at her hand in Jason’s. “They were annoying me, that’s all.”

“Maybe we should give the lovebirds a little space.” Hazel advises, smiling slightly. “Also, I should check Jason over to make sure he’s really okay, so.”

“Right.” Percy stands up. “We’ll regroup later?”

“Maybe the Room of Requirement will be open for one last time.” Hazel agrees. She smiles up at Percy.

Will curses, loudly. “The Room of Requirement!” he shouts, loud enough for Rachel to jump and stare at him like he’s insane. “The other students! Didn’t we put them through a portal or something through there?”

Percy doesn’t have to ask to know that the only student Will is talking about is Nico. “Yeah,” he answers, sharing a smile with Annabeth. “Why don’t you go up there and try to get through to let them know it’s over?”

Will takes off without another word, sprinting down the hallway, his robes flying behind him like a cape. 

Annabeth’s hand comes up to Percy’s. “Can I borrow you for a minute?” she asks, pulling him away from their friends before Percy can even respond. She stops just a few feet away, where they’re a reasonable distance from everyone around them.

“Are you okay?” Percy asks, frowning lightly.

Annabeth searches his face and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Are  _ you _ ?” she counters. 

“I’m fine,” he says. It feels like a lie. 

She looks down at their entwined hands. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened on the pavilion.”

Percy shifts his weight. Annabeth gives his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I just don’t think everyone needs to know what happened,” he says. The words feel like cotton in his mouth. “You know?”

“I know.” she says. “I was there.” He looks away and realizes it’s because he’s unconsciously afraid of seeing Annabeth’s reaction. Gently, his girlfriend’s fingers guide his face back to meet her warm grey eyes. “You’re not what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not thinking anything.” 

“Liar.” Annabeth accuses, and she smiles slightly only for a second. Then it’s gone, and her eyes turn serious, the way they tend to do. “I saw how those witches and wizards looked at you, and I know how you think, Seaweed Brain. Okay?”

“Kronos had to die.” Percy says, like he’s trying to justify himself.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this.” Annabeth warns, sliding her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder. “Percy, you said it yourself. It was you or Kronos. And it had to be him.”

She stares at him when he doesn’t respond, reaching up to brush his sweaty hair from his forehead for the second time that day. Percy leans into her touch, closing his eyes lightly. He wonders if he looks as tired as he feels. He wonders if Annabeth can tell exactly what he’s thinking. “It’s okay,” she says quietly, pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay.”

“Some things just shouldn’t be controlled.” Percy says against her shoulder. He realizes, then, that those are the exact words Annabeth had said to him after he told her he’d killed Atlas Nightshade with his ability to manipulate the water spell. 

Annabeth pulls back sharply. “Oh,” she says. “Hey. Percy, listen—”

“Are you afraid of me?” Percy blurts out. He hates that he’s afraid to hear the answer. He hates that he doesn’t  _ know  _ the answer.

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “No! Don’t—don’t even ask me that, Seaweed Brain.” she says harshly, gripping his arms. “I am not afraid of you. I could kick your ass into next week, if I wanted.”

Despite himself, Percy smiles just a little, because it’s absolutely true. “But you’re right.” he says finally. “I won’t use that spell again. I won’t trick someone into death again. I won’t kill anyone again.”

“Sometimes,” Annabeth says softly, “you have to do what you need to in order to survive.”

“I don’t want people looking at me like that.” Percy admits. Annabeth’s eyes turn soft. “I don’t want you looking at me like that.”

Annabeth reaches up and kisses him lightly, reaching up to place one hand on the side of his face. “I would never.”

Percy kisses her forehead. The smile on his face returns as he wraps his arms around her, holding her close. “You really could kick my ass into next week.”

He can feel her smile against his shoulder. “And don’t you forget it.” 

\---

“So, you’re not gonna tell me how you killed Kronos?”

Percy looks up. Connor is standing behind him, a shit-eating grin on his face, hands in his pockets. “I thought we were closer than that, dude.” he says, kicking a small piece of a brick away from his foot.

Percy shrugs. “It’s the mystery that makes the friendship exciting,” he says.

“Bull and shit.” Connor answers, but his grin doesn’t fall. “I haven’t seen you all day, except for this morning.”

“I’ve been avoiding you.” Percy deadpans. “Hate to break it to you.”

Connor laughs. “And here I thought we had a beautiful bromance going on.”

Percy grins and looks away, twirling his wand between his fingers as he rests his hand on his propped knee. 

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Connor sits next to him against the wall, shoulder-to-shoulder. “Thought you’d be off making out with Annie, or something.”

Percy gives him a look. “She’ll kill you for calling her that.”

“She won’t know I called her that.”

“Oh, trust me, she will. She’s scary like that.” Percy warns. “I was just...taking a break. Before I pass out.”

It’s Connor’s turn to give him a look. “You look dead on your feet.”

“Thanks.” Percy says flatly.

“I mean it. When’s the last time you slept?”

“Couldn’t tell you, mate. It’s been…a day. But I’ll sleep eventually.” Before Connor can continue to pressure him about Percy’s state of exhaustion, he adds, “Where’s your brother? Last I saw you, the two of you were together.”

“Hell if I know.” Connor says, shrugging. “He said something about some seventh-year Hufflepuff girl and disappeared on me. Some brother I have.”

“You’ve got more than just one brother.” Percy says, turning to look at him. He means it. Other than Grover, Connor is definitely the closest he’s got to a brother. If not  _ the  _ closest. Maybe in an alternate universe, he’d be a triplet with Connor and Grover. 

Connor’s grin turns to a somber smile. “Yeah,” he says, and he nudges Percy’s shoulder. “I do.”

Percy smiles lightly and looks down for a brief moment. “I killed him,” he says, before he can really think about what Connor’s reaction is going to be. “Zoё’s dad.”

When Percy looks up, Connor is studying him closely. “I know,” he says. “I went up to the Astronomy tower. I saw his body. It’s gone, now,” he adds, before Percy can ask. “One of the members of Kronos’s army showed up while I was there and took it.”

“He deserved it.” Percy says. “He deserved to die, after what he did to Zoё.”

Connor clears his throat. “I know that too,” he agrees. “And part of me, now, wishes that I was the one who did it.”

They’re silent for a moment. Then, softly, Connor asks, “You think she’d be proud of us?”

“I know she would.” Percy answers, without hesitation. Connor smiles a little sadly and looks down at his hands. Thinking about Zoё has put a lump in Percy’s throat and he’s sure Connor has one to match. Percy can remember the days they’d sit together at the Slytherin table, laughing about something stupid or talking about Quidditch tactics. It feels like yesterday. It hurts to realize it wasn’t. “She’d probably call us stupid, too, for all the stunts we’ve pulled.”

Connor cracks a smile. “She’d hit us,” he adds. “Or hex us. Or something like that.”

Percy laughs. He sets his wand down next to his leg. “Merlin, I miss her. I wish she could see that this is over.”

“Me, too.” Connor agrees. He looks at Percy, then, with shiny eyes and a wistful expression. Barely above a whisper, he admits: “I think I might have loved her.”

Percy’s heart constricts.

“Like...more than a friend. I know I said I didn’t, but I…think I might have.”

“It’s okay.” Percy says, because it is, and he knows it. His heart jumps to his throat. Truth be told, it wasn’t something he’d ever picked up on. “If you did, it’s okay.”

“She deserved so much more than what she got.” Connor says, mostly to himself.

It’s the same exchange of words they’ve had when it comes to Zoё. Percy feels too young to have experienced all of this death and destruction. He wishes, for quite possibly the thousandth time, that Zoё were alive, here, sitting beside them. He knows there will come a day that he’ll forget the sound of her voice or the way she looked, or how loud and rare her laugh was. He knows there will come a day that he’ll forget the first time they officially became friends. Percy never wants to see that day come to light. For now, he’ll hold onto his friend as tightly as possible. “She did,” Percy says, and his voice chokes up on the second word. So he says no more; and Connor doesn’t, either, so they sit together, shoulder-to-shoulder, against the wall, for what feels like eternity.

\---

Most of the people who have been seriously injured have gone to St. Mungo’s by now; the rest of the students have returned, the Ministry officials have left, and the professors have been trying to clean as much rubble away as they can. The aftermath of the battle is nowhere near over, but it’s getting there, and slowly, Hogwarts is starting to look like home again.

The moon has risen over the broken castle when Grover taps Percy’s shoulder and says, “Hey. Let’s go for a walk.”

Annabeth offers Percy a hand. He had been sitting with Hazel and Frank for a while, but figures they’ll want to have a little time alone, so he takes his girlfriend’s hand and stands up. To be honest, Percy had sat with them originally because he was afraid Hazel would start yelling at Frank again. And as amusing as that might have been, Percy had also been trying to talk to all of his friends to make sure they were all okay.

“Where are we going?” Percy questions, as he follows his girlfriend and his best friend out of the Great Hall.

“You’ll see.” Grover answers, turning over his shoulder to smile. He’s using his crutches again, but his severe limp has lessened noticeably. He picks up his pace as he leads Percy and Annabeth down the corridor.

It turns out to be the Astronomy tower. It takes Grover a little bit longer to climb the ladder, but he does so and then summons his crutches up with a spell. When Percy climbs up, he sees that a blanket has been spread out on the ground. “Figured we could have one last night up here.” Grover says.

Percy looks at him. “Have we ever had a night up here before?”

“Not all three of us.” Grover sits. “But this is our last chance to.”

He’s right. Percy joins him on the blanket, followed by Annabeth. “I assume the rest of our year might be expunged.” Annabeth says, bracing herself on her palms as she extends her legs. “Considering everything that just happened.”

“That would be nice.” Percy says wistfully. “No exams.”

“Except for the N.E.W.T.s.” Annabeth adds. “Those we have to take, no question.”

“Percy might not.” Grover muses. “Since he killed Kronos. Depending on what he wants to do with his life, anyway.”

Percy looks at Annabeth. “Do you still think I should be a teacher?”

Annabeth bites her lip. “I do,” she says.

Relief floods his chest. “I do, too,” he says. Percy’s not quite sure when he officially decided, but maybe it was all of the leader talk from Connor before the battle. Or from Poseidon after. Or from Annabeth, who’s been telling him verbally and non-verbally since the first time she’d brought up the idea. Whichever way, the decision feels  _ good _ , like a weight’s been lifted from his chest. “Yeah. I do.”

Annabeth is trying (and failing) not to smile very wide. Percy can see it in her eyes. Even Grover looks pleased. “You should speak to Professor Hestia first thing tomorrow.” she says.

“Yeah.” Percy says. He looks around. The stars are shining, as they always are, but when he looks down he can see the remnants of what might just be one of the largest battles of the century within the Wizarding World. The last time he was on this tower, he killed a man in front of one of his professors. The time before that, he saw the battle begin before anyone else. He’s glad that he’s going to leave this tower—and this school—in this way: with his best friends, feeling the most at peace he has in several years.

“Huh,” says Annabeth, her face tilted up to the sky. “It almost looks like Zoё.”

Percy lets his gaze drift up to the stars. If he squints just right, he can almost see a constellation of a girl, a wand brandished in front of her. There’s no face, because it’s a constellation that might be made up, but he can see the bravery: and just like that, he can remember Zoё just as she was, as brave as she was, even until her last breath. He can see her face, smiling, laughing, the happiest she’s ever been.

Zoё’s image shifts in Percy’s mind to show Bianca di Angelo. He wonders how she would react, knowing that Kronos is dead. Her brother is safe. In love, most likely. Percy wonders what she would be like at this age, almost out of Hogwarts; what would she want to do with her life? She was the first victim of this war. Hopefully she’d be glad that Kronos was the last.

Charlie Beckendorf. Silena Beauregard. The Ravenclaw girl in her pyjamas. Anyone else Percy hadn’t seen who fell during the battle. Even Ethan Nakamura.  _ Casualties are inevitable in battle _ , Poseidon had said.  _ Their blood is not on your hands. That is something you will have to forcibly remind yourself of, no matter what. _

_ I won’t kill anyone again. _

“Hey.” Annabeth says softly, reaching out to knock her shoulder into Percy’s. “What’s running through that seaweed brain of yours?”

_ A lot _ , Percy thinks. But he doesn’t say that. He looks back at her and feels like he can see the stars in her eyes and his heart swells. He’d kiss her, but he’s pretty sure Grover wouldn’t appreciate that, even if his best friend’s reaction would probably be funny. Instead, Percy grins, looking from Annabeth to Grover. He wonders if his mum has gotten his letter by now. He wonders if his friends are feeling as happy as he is. There’s one thing he doesn’t have to wonder about anymore, though.

“It’s over,” he says, and in the moonlight, he sees his two best friends grow smiles to match his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> epilogue is the next and last chapter!!!!!!!!! pls validate, ily all <3

**Author's Note:**

> don't forget to comment if u liked it!! feedback is super important to me <3


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